Together, You and I
by AnimeloverNUMBA100
Summary: Hinata is finally married to him after all these years of unrequited love. She's willing to change to be a more confident and strong-willed woman for both him and for Konoha. Naruto is finally Hokage and a respected shinobi in front of everyone's eyes. All that's left was for him to learn how to love her back.
1. Together, You and Me

**Together, You and Me**

* * *

Today was the best day of Hinata's life.

She was getting married to the man who she's had a crush on ever since childhood. She was going to spend the rest of her life with this person, who she's admired and looked up to for so long. She was getting betrothed to this man, who she's loved all her life.

Naruto Uzumaki.

It was an arranged marriage, conducted and planned by the head elders of the village. The last step for Naruto to finally become Hokage, was that he must choose a bride from one of the prestige clans of Konoha. It was a shock, really, to both of them.

Being the oldest in her family, she was the only candidate from the Hyuuga clan lined up alongside with many other women from recognizable clans.

He chose her.

It was a moment she would never forget.

But she also knew that he chose her because she was the only one out of those 50 women that he knew. They grew up together, fought many battles alongside each other, they went on countless missions together, and so it was only logical that she'd be the one that he picked.

When he did choose her, he apologized to her over and over again. He knew that if he chose her, that meant her future was bound to him. She kept reassuring him that it was ok, that she knew the reason why he'd choose her over the others, but he just kept looking at her with those regretful eyes.

Even now, when they stood next to each other in front of the whole village, he still looked at her like that.

"Sorry, Hinata..." He muttered quietly so that only she could hear.

She made a faint smile at him and just slightly shook her head. Why couldn't he see that she was so beyond happy right now? That this was all she's ever wanted?

Her heart was pounding like crazy and she was proud that she's gotten over her habit of fainting and blushing excessively whenever she got nervous. When she stared at his blue eyes that captivated her every moment, she felt breathless and lightheaded.

People in the village were whistling and shouting happy comments; most of them were from their friends, of course. Before she was on the platform, Sakura, Ino, Tenten, and the other girls were swooning over her, congratulating her on finally getting Naruto after all these years.

This would have been a perfect moment.

It _would_ have been.

...but it wasn't, because she knew for a fact, that he did not feel the same as her. The whole time, his expression was regretful and he didn't seem at all happy. He'd flash a couple of smiles here and there to fake it, but she knew that he has never once saw her romantically or even looked at her as a woman who was capable of being by his side.

It was always Sakura.

Even now, when she followed his eyes to where he was gazing at in the crowd, it fell right upon Sakura...who was evidently standing by Sasuke. Sasuke had returned momentarily to witness this ceremony before he resumed his journey of self-redemption.

Hinata refused to let that ruin this moment. Though she knew reality wasn't as perfect as she wanted it to be, for this moment right now, she was willing to lie to herself.

"Naruto Uzumaki, I pronounce you, the 7th Hokage of Konohagakure, head of this village and all affairs. Hinata Hyuuga, I pronounce you the wife of the 7th Hokage, that you may share all responsibilities alongside him. The people of this village entrust our lives in both of your leadership for years to come." Kakashi announced as he slowly turned the two towards the village.

"People of Konoha, Naruto and Hinata Uzumaki!"

Hinata nearly jumped at the sound of the roaring crowd. She has never been hit with this kind of realization in her life before...she was the **_wife of an Hokage_**. She was the_ head lady_ of this village. She was a leader of a_ nation_.

Suddenly, those happy feelings that she had just a second ago disappeared. This whole time, she was thinking about how she was finally going to be with Naruto that she didn't even think about the full extent of what it _meant_ to be married to him.

Her hands trembled at the sudden thought of what would lay ahead of her. She knew for a fact that Naruto was going to lead the village into prosperity and strength...but was she capable of being both a good wife to him and a leader to these people? Would she be able to handle the stress that she could barely handle in her own clan? Would she be able to survive this, knowing that he didn't even love her?

Then in that moment, she felt like crying. She felt like crumbling to pieces at the very fear that hit the pit of her stomach when she realized what she got herself into. She realized why Naruto apologized to her over and over again.

She was entering a contract marriage. A loveless marriage. A marriage that was for nothing else but for the name of being an Hokage's wife. She was entering into a dangerous life of politics, a life of duty to the people of Konoha, and a life of managing both internal and external responsibilities with other villages.

She was going to become someone that everyone was going to look up to. Everyone was going to watch her every move, and because she was at the upmost highest division of leadership that a woman could have in Konoha, all the women in the village will look upon her every decision.

She wasn't even as strong as most of the women in Konoha. She wasn't the smartest, the prettiest, nor the most confident or outspoken person there was. Yet, here she was, standing in front of her beloved village as the Hokage's wife.

She let out a shaky sigh as she tried to calm herself down. It was a learning process...she would try her very best, no matter what may come her way. She would do her best to become someone that even her father would respect. She will train to become a stronger shinobi and represent the honor of her Hyuuga clan. She will no longer shy away from things that make her nervous and she knew she would have to practice becoming someone who spoke with authority and power. She would have to become a loving wife to Naruto, no matter if he will ever come to love her not. She will become a mother to both her future children and the children of Konoha. She knew she was going to have to become someone who will not shake or crumble at anything or to anyone.

Suddenly, she felt someone grasp her hand and all her thoughts vanished. She glanced over at Naruto, who looked at her worriedly. "You ok? It's almost over. We just have to walk to the Konoha headquarters now."

Hinata pushed down her fears and her eyes suddenly held a determination that she's never felt before. Boldly, she entangled her fingers with his and flashed a sincere smile at him. "I'm ok. I'm ready."

* * *

It was the worst day of Naruto's life.

Sure, he reached his dream. Sure, he's going to become Hokage, leader of the village he loved more than anything.

But he wasn't going to spend his lifelong dream with the woman he loved the most.

Instead, he was marrying his friend, his friend who has fought alongside him his whole life and who's always been so gentle and kind. It wasn't that he despised the idea of being married to her...it was just that, it was so unexpected that she was the one who he would be spending his whole life with. He's never once even looked at her as a potential spouse or had any kind of romantic feelings towards her.

And he hated himself that he was going to make her do this with him. When he saw her in that line of women he was supposed to choose from, he knew he would choose her. She was the only one he knew and was comfortable with. He chose her because it was just better that he married his friend than some stranger.

He apologized to her again and again because he knew he was going to regret this his whole life. Even now, standing here with her in front of everyone, he still felt guilty for making her do this.

"Sorry, Hinata..." He muttered so that only she could hear it. She only smiled faintly at him and shook her head.

She was always so fragile. He was just scared that she wouldn't be able to handle this. He told himself that it was ok even if she couldn't...he would do all the work if necessary. He was going to protect her just like how he was going to protect the village.

He would _try_ to love her. He knew he wasn't going to get over Sakura anytime soon, but he would try. She was going to be his wife and he was more than capable of giving her the love and attention that she deserved. It was just going to take some time because he's never had that type of relationship with anyone.

He couldn't help but feel heartbroken at the sight of Sakura in crowd, next to Sasuke. He knew that there was no one else for her, but Sasuke...and now, undeniably, there was no other girl but her for Sasuke.

He sighed and quickly pushed those thoughts away. It wasn't the time to be thinking about things such as his long unrequited love when he was going to be named a leader of a whole nation right now.

"Naruto Uzumaki, I pronounce you, the 7th Hokage of Konohagakure, head of this village and all affairs. Hinata Hyuuga, I pronounce you the wife of the 7th Hokage, that you may share all responsibilities alongside him. The people of this village entrust our lives in both of your leadership for years to come." Kakashi announced as he slowly turned the two towards the village.

"People of Konoha, Naruto and Hinata Uzumaki!"

Naruto flashed a smile at the roaring crowd. This was the moment he had been waiting for, for his whole life. He looked at his beloved village and vowed to himself that he would do whatever it takes to keep Konoha as a strong, safe, and united place. There will be no enemies that would be able to penetrate or destroy anything or anyone and he would make sure that peace will reign for as long as he was Hokage.

Since he was a boy, all he's ever wanted was for people to stop pointing at him like he was an outcast and a monster. All he's ever wanted was for people to respect and see him as a strong shinobi. He never gave up, and he was proud of himself for this very moment.

With Hinata by his side, too, he knew things would be ok. Though she wasn't the strongest, he knew she had her good traits. From all the years that he's known her, she was an honest, reliable, and smart person. He didn't know if she was going to be able to handle this alongside him, but he would train and grow together with her in all aspects of leadership. He will teach her how to be confident and he will learn to be both a good husband and a good father of their children in the future.

He glanced over at Hinata and a sudden rush of worry went through him when he saw her troubled expression. She looked scared and he guessed that all this was overwhelming for her right now.

He wanted to comfort her, so he reached over and gently held her hand. "You ok? It's almost over. We just have to walk to the Konoha headquarters now."

He was taken by surprise when her expression suddenly changed. She met his gaze and smiled with such confidence and determination that he's never seen before. Her beautiful pearl eyes shined brightly and his heart raced just a little faster when she held his hand back.

"I'm ok. I'm ready."

It was strange.

Those two statements alone made his worries about her fade away. Instead of seeing her as the fragile and softspoken Hinata he knew, it was like she suddenly changed into this confident and strongwilled woman right before his eyes.

He smiled back at her and thought that maybe...he might not regret this decision after all.

* * *

**More to come!**

**Review! Suggestions for the next chapters are always accepted :D**


	2. Together, We Learn

**Together, We Learn**

* * *

Of course, the wedding night scared the hell out of Hinata. She certainly wasn't ready for that yet.

She had already showered, was dressed in a long silk gown, and was sitting in what was now hers and Naruto's bed. They also owned their own place within the Konoha headquarters now.

She tried to calm herself down, but her beating heart wasn't helping at all. They had to consummate their marriage at some point, she knew that, but she didn't want to do it yet...not right now, when he didn't even have the same feelings as she did.

Her heart nearly stopped when the bathroom door opened and Naruto stepped out in an orange silk robe.

She almost smiled at the fact that even the pajamas were in his favorite color, but she couldn't smile because her nervousness was consuming her right now.

Naruto closed the bathroom door behind him and slipped into bed beside her, sitting quietly in the same position as she was in. To be honest, he didn't actually want to do it either. He knew she was scared and that this whole thing left her with no choice. It left him with no choice either.

He cleared his throat before he spoke. "Um...Hinata...?"

Hinata's gripped the blanket just a little tighter. "Yes?"

Wow, she didn't even stutter. He expected her voice to tremble or something, but she answered him so firmly. Was she not nervous at all?

"Sorry." He apologize for the hundredth time since he chose her. "I don't want to make this uncomfortable for the both of us. You're one my precious friends and I wouldn't do anything to hurt you. I know this marriage is going to be hard for the both of us, but I'm willing to give my all for both you and for this village."

This was the exact reason why she fell for him. He genuinely cared about the people who were dear to him...he wouldn't do anything that would put them in harm or do anything that would place them in a difficult situation. He was one of the reasons why she's gained so much confidence in herself over these past few years.

Her heart nearly skipped a beat when he slightly shifted so he was sitting a little faced towards her. He reached for her hands and held them in his own. "...I'm actually a bit nervous right now, and I've never done any intimate things with a woman before, so I apologize if this isn't what you imagined for your first time. If I'm hurting you in any way, just let me know..."

Hinata felt herself blush for the first time in forever and she closed her eyes tightly when he let go of her hands and gently laid her down so that he hovered over her. She turned her head to the side because she didn't dare to look at him right now. She almost gasped when she felt him lean down to place a featherlight kiss on her neck.

Suddenly, she took a hold of his robe and immediately sat up, pushing him away, bumping her head with his in the process.

"Ow!" They both winced and exclaimed at the same time.

Hinata let go of him and she placed her hand on her forehead, which was probably red from the hard hit. She gazed up at Naruto and he was also holding his forehead. "I'm sorry!" She immediately apologized.

Naruto looked at her and she was taken by surprise when he suddenly let out a small laugh. "Hinata? You really don't want to do this right now, do you?"

Hinata bit her bottom lip and then she slowly shook her head. "...I'm sorry...it's just, it doesn't feel right. Can we just...wait? Until the right moment comes for the both of us, can we wait before doing this?" She asked hopefully.

Naruto sighed in relief and he smiled at her. He felt incredibly awkward kissing her like that and he was glad she pushed him away before things went any further. "To be honest, it didn't feel right for me either. Today's been a tiring day, probably more for you than for me, so I understand if you feel like this right now. We can wait...I won't mind."

Hinata also sighed in relief and she thanked him. She was glad that she was bold enough to push him away like that. She was also glad that he understood and felt the same way she did about this. "...can we just sleep now?" She asked.

He laughed again at her innocence and just nodded. They both laid down, facing each other.

Naruto's eyes trailed over her face. She was his _wife_. Hinata Hyuuga was his wife. It was kinda unbelievable now that it really hit him.

Hinata was also gazing at him, admiring his blue eyes and blonde hair. It felt like a dream, laying here beside him. Naruto Uzumaki was her _husband_. It was a strange thing to think about. In a blink of an eye, they ended up in this situation that they never thought would happen in a million years.

"Goodnight, Naruto..." She muttered softly.

"Night, Hinata..." He couldn't help but smile as her eyes fluttered closed and she quickly drifted off to sleep. Then he blinked curiously when a sudden thought struck him.

Thinking about the way she smiled today and the way her eyes lit up with determination, hearing the confidence in her voice and experiencing the boldness in her actions...and then now when he was gazing her, seeing how long her hair grew, how long her eyelashes were, how pretty and pink her lips and her cheeks were against the paleness of her flawless skin and how peaceful she looked when she was sleeping...

...he wondered...has she always been this beautiful?

* * *

He awoke the next day and at first, he was confused as to where he was, but then all of the events of yesterday came rushing back in his head.

"Oh yea...I'm Hokage now." He grinned happily and sat up, stretching out his arms.

Then he suddenly realized that Hinata wasn't even in bed with him. He looked at the time and realized it was only 8AM. Then the aroma of fresh soup and ramen hit his nose and he got excited when he guessed what she was probably doing right now.

He quickly jumped out of bed and washed up before running out the bedroom and into the kitchen.

"Are you cooking ramen?!"

Hinata nearly jumped at his sudden shout, and she turned to face him. Instead of answering him, she laughed softly at his appearance. His hair was sticking up in unusual ways, his robe was loosened a little so that his chest was exposed and his expression was like that of a little boy who just got a birthday cake.

Naruto's heart fluttered slightly at the sound of her laughter...he didn't think he ever heard her laugh so wholeheartedly like that before.

"Yes, I'm cooking ramen." She finally replied and walked towards him. She hesitated a bit, but then she boldly reached up towards him and ran her fingers through his hair, brushing out the tangles.

Well, shit.

He's never had anyone do that before...and he was surprised that she wasn't even nervous to touch him like it was normal. It was so weird that she got his heart racing like this when he's known her for so long and didn't even consider her anything more as a friend. The fact that she was so close to him right now wasn't really helping either.

"You should've at least brushed your hair and wore something other than this robe before you came out." She laughed again before her hands traveled down and she tightened his robe so that it fully covered his chest. "The ramen's ready, so you can eat now if you want."

Naruto once again couldn't help but smile at her. "Thank you, Hinata."

She led him over to the table and his eyes glistened at the sight. Two bowls of fresh ramen sat at the edge of both ends of the table, still steaming, and there were a bunch of small side dishes such as fish cakes and seaweed scattered in the middle of the table.

"This looks so amazing!"

He didn't waste any time and sat down, grabbing the chopsticks even before she sat down in her own chair.

She laughed for the third time that morning when he slurped the noodles loudly and picked at each and every side dish there was. Then she remembered that he was Hokage now...and it made her so happy that she was the only one who got to see this side of him.

Naruto glanced up at her and stopped eating so fast. She was looking at him with such a face that seemed like she absolutely adored him right now...it was a bit strange. He's never had anyone look at him so affectionately like that before...and then he suddenly wondered why she was even gazing him with such an expression.

He swallowed what was in his mouth and then set down his chopsticks. "Sorry, I should've waited for you to sit down and take the first bite. You cooked all this so early in the morning and I just dove in like this." He apologized. He felt like he was always apologizing to her. It always felt like she did so much for him, yet all he did was take what she had.

"It's ok, go ahead and eat. You're probably gonna have a busy day ahead of you." Hinata reassured him.

"So are you. You're my wife now so you'll be busy alongside me."

_'You're my wife now.'_ That statement made both of them freeze for a slight moment. Naruto was surprised that he said it so easily. It felt both unreal and real at the same time...that she was wife now. Hinata could feel herself blushing, and she looked down at her bowl. Honestly, it still felt like a dream, even though he was really sitting there across from her.

The silence was broken by a loud knock on the door.

"I'll get it." Naruto quickly got up and ran to the door, opening it to reveal a middle-aged man who held a stack of paper in his arms.

He bowed to Naruto before speaking. "Hokage sama, these are the paperworks that require your signature for the day. There are also missions and important official documents from neighboring villages that need to be looked over."

"Oh, of course. Thank you. I'll head over to the main office in ten minutes." Naruto bowed his head and took the papers before the man walked away.

Hinata came up behind him and her eyes widened at the huge stack of documents. "You're supposed to look through all of those?"

"Ehehe, yea. When Tsunade was Hokage, she always had stacks of papers like this whenever I saw her, too. It's fine, it all comes with the responsibilities of being Hokage. Besides, everything in these documents are important matters so I have to make sure to read them thoroughly anyways."

"I'll help. You can go ahead and do the signatures and I'll read the ones that don't need a signature and just report them to you later tonight." Hinata suggested as she reached out a hand to him, expecting him to give her half of the stack.

"Are you sure?" Naruto blinked.

Hinata nodded at him and urged him to give her half. He sighed and then divided the stack of papers, giving some to her.

"Let's finish breakfast before we head out, then."

* * *

The next few days were hectic and chaotic.

Naruto was busy running around, getting acquainted with where everything was, what kinds of responsibilities and activities he was going to be in charge of, and who the important people of both Konoha and other villages were.

Hinata was also busy running around, overseeing the ninja academy's programs, managing market affairs, and reading over important documents that Naruto was too busy to read.

It was different than what they both imagined because they rarely saw each other. After a long day of learning their duties and finishing their jobs, the only time they saw each other was during the evening or night.

Hinata expected the stress and headaches that were going to happen sooner or later, but she didn't know she was going to be so overwhelmed by just one month of training and being educated about Konoha's leadership system.

She also missed him. Instead of working beside him, they were apart for the whole day, doing their own individual things for the village and she was a bit upset that she didn't even see him until bedtime.

Naruto, on the other hand, was so busy that he didn't even have time to think about what she was doing. However, he found it surprisingly comforting to go home to see her sound asleep on the bed. Seeing her peaceful and relaxed expression made everything he was stressed about that day go away.

When he came home today, it was already far past midnight and he guessed that she was probably sound asleep already.

He quietly opened the door to their room and to his surprise, he saw her sitting up on the bed.

"Hinata? It's late, shouldn't you be sleeping already?" He walked over to her and sat down beside her.

Hinata turned to face him and she stayed quiet for a few moments before she finally spoke. "...when are we going to be able to spend some time together?"

Naruto stared at her blankly. "You want to spend time together?"

"Well, I mean...we are married. And for the past month or so, we barely see each other. It's only logical that married couples spend time together, right?"

Naruto understood her point and he nodded. "Yea, but the things that we're busy with are important. I'm pretty sure that after this month of training is over and we learn how to properly do our duties, we'll be able to have some free time."

Hinata opened her mouth and she was about to say that she missed him, but she figured it was too early to act on her feelings. She sighed and forced a smile at him. "I understand. Then I'll just have to be patient." She then laid down and turned so that her back was facing him instead.

Naruto felt guilty again. He didn't know how to care or love her properly like a husband should love a wife. He was convinced that she probably still loved him...he still remembered clearly her confession when she fought against Pain to protect him. Maybe that was why she always gazed at him with so much affection.

Sure, she made his heart race here and there and she was undeniably getting more beautiful every day in front of his eyes, but he still couldn't find it himself to say that he had strong feelings for her yet. He knew for sure that right now, regrettably, his heart still belonged to Sakura.

But he made a vow to himself, that he would try to love Hinata back. It was going to take a while to get accustomed to this lifestyle and to the fact that she was his significant other now, but this was reality.

He laid down and faced her slim back. Then he boldly scooted closer to her so that their bodies were almost touching and he reached over with one arm to embrace her.

"Goodnight Hinata..."

* * *

**Review, please!**

**Suggestions for the next chapters are always welcomed :)**


	3. Together, We Bond

**Together, We Bond**

* * *

After 2 and a half months of leadership training, they were finally free to do their duties by themselves.

Naruto basically memorized everything there was to know about Konoha: its past, its people, its economic and market status, its history of past Hokages, its relation with neighboring villages, and he probably knew the name of every clan there was in the village. He was head of all trading affairs, he was board leader of every meeting there was to be, he had the authority to send out teams and conduct whatever mission there was needed to completed, and he was required to attend every important event that will happen in the village.

Hinata was now an expert at knowing how the education system ran in the ninja academies, she knew every jutsu and tricks in the books that there was to know, and she had more knowledge of everything about Konoha right now than she's ever had because of reading all those documents. She's spoken and worked with respected ninjas in the village that she's only ever dreamt of meeting and she had the authority to share whatever responsibilities Naruto was in charge of.

It was a lot to take in.

They were exhausted by the end of the training and the real thing just started.

Naruto sat in his office, with a major headache, signing off a team of jounin to a mission. "Report back to me within a month. Since I am assigning you guys to an A-rank mission, if there are any complications or life-threatening situations, notify me and I will send help immediately." He replied before the masked ninjas dispersed from his office.

He sighed and turned his chair around so that he was looking out at the village. He wondered what Hinata was doing right now...it's been a while since they've even spoken. He didn't really expect that there would be so much distance between them when he became Hokage. He didn't know how their marital bond would grow when they didn't even have time to see each other. He didn't know if he would ever learn to love her back if he didn't even get to know her on a personal level.

His thoughts were cut short when he heard the door open. The chakra presence felt all too familiar and then to his surprise, he turned to see Hinata walk in, holding a bag.

* * *

Hinata spent her morning going over what trade products were being imported and exported out of Konoha right now. She didn't even know how the trade system worked until now.

She also paid a short visit to Ino's flower shop and the hospital to see Sakura. She hasn't even seen or talked to them since the wedding ceremony so she figured she might as well drop by and greet them.

She also stopped by for a short while at the Hyuuga household to say hello to her father and sister and to pay her respects to Neji, whose picture was hung on the wall in their main Hyuuga compound before she continued on with her busy day.

After reviewing the progress of the Genin at the ninja academy, she rushed home to quickly make some food because she had an hour before she and Naruto were going to go see and approve the grounds for the Chunin Exams.

She smiled proudly at her bento boxes and set them nicely in a small bag before she headed out. This would be the first time she will be visiting Naruto in his office and it would also be the first time they would be eating lunch together.

She barely had time to make breakfast because they both had to be up early to tend to important matters, so this was special to her.

On her way up to the Hokage's official workplace, she had to bow countless times because there were so many people in the Konoha headquarters that greeted her. She sighed in relief when she finally made it to his door and she quickly fixed herself before reaching for the doorknob.

* * *

"Good afternoon, Hokage." She greeted him and closed the door behind her.

"You don't have to be so formal." Naruto chuckled at her as she sat across from him. "What are you doing here? It's the first time you've ever visited me in my office."

"The next Chunin exams are coming up, remember?"

Naruto blinked for a moment, and then his eyes widened. "Oh shoot! I totally forgot about that!" He remembered that he and Hinata were required to go oversee and approve the training grounds, arena, and the designated places where the tournaments were going to be held.

Wow, talk about luck. He was just thinking about how he didn't get to spend time with her and now they get to do this together. This was also the first time they would be out in public together since their marriage ceremony in front of the village.

Hinata held up the bag in her hand. "We have an hour till we have to be there, so I had some extra time to make some food. I was thinking maybe we can have our first lunch together?" She almost laughed when his eyes immediately lit up.

"Of course! That'd be awesome...I was just having a headache and I didn't have breakfast either."

Hinata took out the two bento boxes from the bag and placed one in front of him and one in front of herself. In each bento box, there was onigiri, yakisoba (Japanese noodles), tamagoyaki (rolled up omelets), salted teriyaki salmon, slices of fish cake, small steamed buns, and a small batch of salad on the side. She also took out a small pitcher of tea and two cups and placed it on the desk.

"Enjoy." She replied before handing him the chopsticks.

He excitedly took the chopsticks from her and opened his bento. "I'm so lucky to have you! You always cook the best things ever!"

Hinata blushed at his statement and then Naruto also felt embarrassed when he realized what he just blurted out.

"Well, you_ do_ always cook delicious foods, hehe." Naruto grinned cheekily at her, trying to lighten up the suddenly tense mood.

Hinata was glad and loved the fact that he wasn't such an awkward person. She picked up her own chopsticks, but before she ate, she once again glanced up at him and made a faint smile.

"...I'm lucky to have you, too."

* * *

Memories came rushing back when they were in the Forest of Death.

"Oh man, this is where everything started." Naruto sighed nostalgically.

There were a group of three jounins, including Shikamaru, Kiba, and Tenten, that came with him and Hinata. They were chosen to be in charge of the Chunin exams during this season.

"Will we be using this place for the second round again?"

Naruto glanced over at Hinata. "Should we? It did create multiple challenges for us so I think it'd be good to use it again. This was the place where true teamwork was being tested."

Hinata looked around for a moment before nodding. "Ok, then. Write this place down as the official grounds for the second stage...but we should use a different part of the forest to ensure that there will be no cheats. Teams will also be changed to four instead of three." She directed and looked at Tenten to make sure she recorded every decision that was being made at this moment.

Naruto was quite impressed that she was able to come up and stand by her own choices. Normally, she would probably just wait for his decision and go along with whatever he wanted.

"And the finals?" Hinata averted her attention back to him.

"I've talked to the Kazekage and he has agreed to let us use the Sunagakure Arena, so we'll go with that. Temari and Kankuro are already doing preparations. We'll travel to Suna in three weeks to see if everything's done." Naruto turned to Shikamaru. "Make sure Temari sends in the scroll with the information that we need within a week. I need to know the list of the names of both all the jounins that are participating and the team that they're leading."

Shikamaru nodded and then let out a small sigh. Temari was his fiancée now and he knew it was going to be troublesome to run into her again after a whole month of not contacting her after she returned to Suna to help Gaara for a while.

"Kiba, can you and Akamaru scan the region of this forest and then report back to me by tomorrow morning once you find a good area? Be safe. There are unknown parts that have yet to be discovered in this forest, so retreat immediately if you feel as if there's a threat."

Kiba bowed slightly. "Yes, Hokage sama."

Naruto still wasn't used to that. Instead of just calling him "Naruto," all of his friends referred to him has Hokage...which he knew was a sign of respect and because it would be dishonorable to call him anything otherwise, but he just needed time to get adjusted to it.

"We'll get things finalized by tomorrow night and report back to you as soon as possible." Tenten replied as she and the others bowed before dispersing back into the village.

Hinata and Naruto stood there alone, in silence.

"...you know, you just keep surprising me." Naruto spoke up.

Hinata was a bit confused. "What do you mean?"

"It's just that...you're still the Hinata that I've always known, but you're so much more outspoken and firm than before. It's different, but in a good way."

Hinata felt her pride swell up at his compliment. He was always the only one who saw her achievements and her growth. In her younger days, when people would question why she was in love with the number one hyperactive knuckleheaded ninja, she would just think to herself...how could she _not_ fall in love with him, when he such an amazing person, inside and out?

He was strong-willed, determined, he genuinely and sincerely cared for his friends, he would do anything to protect this village, and he never gave up on anything or anyone. And she proud to be married to such a man.

"Well, I am the wife of an Hokage now. It wouldn't be fitting if I was always hesitant and shy would it?"

Naruto smiled at her response and then he realized that surprisingly, he really didn't have anything to do for the rest of the day. And the sun wasn't even setting yet.

"Are you busy after this?" He asked.

She thought for a few moments...she didn't have anything scheduled after coming to examine the grounds for the Chunin Exam. The Konoha Council probably thought it would take far longer than just one or two hours, but she and Naruto had already finished in just 45 minutes.

"No, I'm free."

"Me too!"

Hinata blinked. "But don't you have to sign documents? There was a pile of them on your desk earlier-,"

"I can always do those later. Didn't you tell me that you wanted to spend time together? Since we're both not busy right now, what did you have in mind?"

Hinata's heart fluttered because she didn't he would remember that. It made her happy that he'd rather be with her right now than to be in his office...and it gave her a small hope that it was possible for him to love her back. She's already accepted the idea that she was going to be in this marriage with an unrequited love for the rest of her life, but now...she might possibly have the happy ending that she's always wanted.

Her eyes roamed around the forest and then an idea struck her.

Naruto immediately blushed and turned around when she suddenly untied her mid-length lavender robe and let it drop to the ground. She was now left in black tights, a short tight-fitted black top, and she had bandages wrapped around her stomach so she wouldn't be showing too much skin. She laughed softly at his reaction and admired the fact that he still respected her enough to look away from her body even though they were now married.

"Naruto, I'm fully clothed. I was just thinking maybe we could spar...it's been a while since I've had a good fight."

Well _damn_, she just keeps surprising him to _no_ end. Out of all things, she wanted to spar? He expected her to say that she wanted to go on a nice walk together or do something more mellow.

He turned around and yes, although she was fully clothed, he could still see her curves and her feminine figure because her outfit wasn't entirely that modest. She transitioned into a stance and then activated her Byakugan.

Oho. So she was serious about this enough to even use her Byakugan?

Naruto initially had no complaints. It's been a while since he's had a good fight also, and he's never trained or battled with her before, so it was going to be fun to find out what she's capable of.

He smirked and then also let his Hokage robe drop to the ground, leaving him in a more comfortable outfit. He shifted his stance and then focused his attention on her.

"Come at me."

* * *

What seemed like hours later, they were now laying on the ground opposite of each other, head to head, and was now staring up at the red tainted sky. They were both panting and sweating with small scratches and bruises here and there from the intense sparring.

"Wow, Hinata..." Naruto breathed out. "...you're super strong. My chakra feels completely drained right now!"

Hinata let out a small laugh. "So are you. I barely managed to even get one punch at you."

"No way! You hit me so many times!"

"But you blocked all of them."

"Because if I really let you hit me, it would've hurt like crazy!" Naruto grinned and turned his head so he could look at her.

She also smiled and turned her head and when their eyes met, she was surprised that she didn't even feel nervous at the fact that they were so close to each other right now. It didn't at feel awkward or nerve wrecking.

Boldly, she reached over and gently patted away the sweat on his forehead. "You've been working hard, haven't you?"

"Yes, but so have you."

"Well, it's convenient that we coincidentally have this time to just relax like this. It feels nice."

Naruto agreed. It was a really good stress reliever when he and Hinata sparred just now...and it was even more relaxing just laying like this with her. He never thought that after just merely three months, he would grow to be so comfortable with her. Even though they didn't see each other often, and there was still so much room to grow in in their marriage, his perspective was slowly changing.

Maybe he _was_ going to get over Sakura faster than he thought.

He still couldn't say that he loved Hinata...but he couldn't deny the fact that she slowly paving a way to his heart.

He reached up and took a hold of her hand that was patting his forehead and he held it, gently running his thumb over her knuckles.

"...during that fight with Pain when I was pinned down...and I asked you why you would risk your life for me..." He gazed into her pearl lavender eyes with a serious expression. "...do you still mean those words that you confessed?"

Hinata's heart skipped a beat. She remembered that moment so clearly. It was the moment where she told him that she would throw away her life for him, to protect him, because she loved him. She didn't have anything to lose in that instant and she felt like it was far too long since she's kept her true feelings hidden. It was just unexpected that he would bring that up right now. She never thought that he would be the first to bring up the topic of love in their marriage, nor even talk about it at all. Just because he was Naruto, and love wasn't something he knew on a comfortable level.

But she answered him. Because he was her husband, and she truly did love him.

"I meant it...and I always will."

* * *

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	4. Together, We Hurt

**Together, We Hurt**

* * *

Things settled down a little more in the next couple of days.

Everything came a whole lot easier to Naruto and he was slowly getting the hang of his duties. He also had spare time to see Hinata here and there when he was out in the village. Whenever people saw them together, they would swoon over the couple...it was quite embarrassing, to be honest. He's never received that much attention for just being with a woman before.

They also grew more comfortable with each other. They did get more physical and it was normal for them to hold hands whenever they were together now.

Naruto was reading the list of the people that were participating in the Chunin Exams but he was interrupted by a loud knock on the door. "Come in." He replied and looked up. His eyes immediately lit up and he beamed at the sight of his pink haired teammate.

"Hey Sakura!"

"Hokage." Sakura smiled at him and made a small bow with her head.

"What are you doing here?"

She walked over to him and sat down across from him, looking at him with hopeful eyes. "Um...I wanted to come to ask you for permission to do something. I know you're busy and this is probably totally irrelevant to you right now, but you are Hokage and I really don't just want to leave the village without letting you know beforehand."

Naruto's grin disappeared at that statement. Leave the village? Only one thought came to his mind if she was going to ask permission to leave the village.

Sasuke Uchiha.

"...you want to find Sasuke?"

Sakura nodded. "Yes. I know he wants his space and he's on this so-called journey for self redemption, but...but I feel like it's only right if I'm there with him."

"Didn't he tell you that he would come back eventually to see you?"

Sakura sighed and she averted her eyes down to her lap. "Well, yea...but...I just..." She bit her bottom lip. "...I miss him."

Naruto's heart ached at her sudden confession, but it was normal. He was used to it. He leaned back on his chair and tapped his pen on the desk, narrowing his eyes at her. "That's not a good enough reason for me to let you go."

Sakura's head jerked up. She was surprised at his answer...she was so sure that he would let her go. This was Naruto, her best friend, one of people who she loved the most, and he was the one person who would do anything for her and Sasuke because he cared about them so much.

"But, you have to!"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Why do I _have_ to?"

"Because it's Sasuke! We've tried so hard to bring him back and he's been gone on his journey for almost half a year now! It's only right to go and retrieve him-,"

"He's not a missing ninja, nor is he a threat to Konoha anymore. We have no purpose to bring him back. He clearly told us that he's leaving this time to atone for what he's done...and if he hasn't returned yet, then that means he isn't finished. You shouldn't go after him, Sakura...not this time. You should be having faith in him and you should be patiently waiting for him instead."

Sakura sat speechless. Wow, during these three to four months that she hasn't seen him, did he really change so much? Well, he was Hokage now, so of course his perspective wouldn't be the same anymore.

"You really won't let me go see him?"

Naruto shook his head.

"...what if I leave on my own accord?"

"Sakura, as the leader of this village, I do not give you permission to go and find Sasuke...and as your friend, I kindly advise that you simply wait for him. I can't force you to stay, and there's no crime committed if you _do_ choose to leave since you're already informing me right now, but I think the best decision is to stay and just be patient."

Sakura huffed and crossed her arm. "He'd be annoyed with me if I did go after him, huh?"

"He's always annoyed, Sakura."

"I know. But if I do go after him, then maybe I can convince him to forgive himself and then he'll see that I was always right beside him and that I'm all he needs-,"

"Sakura." Naruto said her name sternly. He was a bit tired of this. Sure, he still loved her, but there was a certain breaking point to his own patience. "My final say is no."

She pouted and then closed her eyes in defeat. As much as she wanted to go after Sasuke, she couldn't go against Naruto. She respected him and if his final say was that he didn't give her permission to leave...then she had no choice but to just wait.

"...ok. I won't go, then. But, I also have another favor to ask." She once again looked at him and a smile graced her face. "If you're free, spend some time with me. Ever since you became Hokage, I barely even see you anymore. When I do see you, you're always busy or you're with other people. So, please? Like old times?"

Naruto couldn't help it. His gaze softened and he let out a sigh before checking his schedule. "I actually have some spare time right now before I head over to discuss some things with Kakashi. Where did you wanna go?"

"Ichiraku? I bet you haven't gone there for a while."

Ha. She knew him well.

"Let's go, then."

* * *

The shop felt smaller than usual. Maybe because it's been forever since he's eaten at Ichiraku or maybe because he was so used being in bigger buildings now.

But it brought back good memories.

"Sooo, how's the married life? I still can't believe it that you're married to Hinata."

"It's actually been really good. It's been a learning process for the both of us."

"Aw, come on! Give me the details! Are you guys lovey-dovey with each other?" Sakura laughed and teased him.

Naruto grinned cheekily. "Ehehe, well, I mean...we did get married unexpectedly, so we're still taking it slow."

"But you're _married_! Taking it slow doesn't make any sense." She rolled her eyes and just shook her head.

Naruto shrugged. "We both have no experience in our romantic lives, so we're still learning. It's fine."

Sakura poked at her noodles and she stayed quiet for a while before speaking again. "...you do know that she's liked you for the longest time, right?"

"Loved." He correct her. "She's_ loved_ me for the longest time."

"Aha, so you do know! Or did you just recently figure it out?"

"During my fight with Pain, she confessed it. She said she'd risk her life to protect me because she loves me. It was a big shock to me, really, because I finally knew why she was always blushing and fainting around me all those years."

"...so...you feel the same way, right? It'd be kind of heartbreaking for her if her husband didn't love her back, you know." She nudged his elbow.

Naruto stared down at his bowl of ramen. Loving someone in such a short amount just wasn't possible...at least, for him, it wasn't. And he couldn't possibly tell Sakura that his own feelings for her was the reason why he was having such a hard time.

"I can't say that I love her yet. I've always just seen her as a friend, and I never imagined that she would be the person who I'll be spending the rest of my life with."

"I understand. But you know, I don't think it'll be that hard for you to fall in love with her. She's really one of the best people I know and she's improved so much over the years. You'd be blind if you don't see the good potentials that she has."

Naruto made a faint smile. "I do see it. She's a really wonderful person, and in the few months that I've spent with her, I've learned things about her that I've never known before. To be honest, I thought that she wouldn't be able to handle being the wife an Hokage, but so far..." He let out a quiet chuckle. "...so far, I feel like she's doing a better job than I am."

Sakura couldn't help but stare in awe at his expression. She's never seen him with such a loving gaze before and she thought that maybe, he might already be falling for Hinata. He probably just didn't notice it yet. "...well! Are you done? We can go on a walk and you can tell me what you've been doing these past few months as Hokage."

"Sure." Naruto nodded as he paid for the both of them before they headed out.

* * *

Hinata was on her way to meet with Kakashi.

Being the former Hokage, Kakashi wanted to meet with them briefly to overview what they've been accomplishing so far and he wanted to discuss the details of the Chunin Exams.

She wondered if Naruto was already there. The past few days have been a little more calm and she was happy that her bond with Naruto was growing. She was getting used to holding hands with him and lately, it seemed as if he was starting to return her feelings.

She hoped everyday that he would one day tell her that he loved her back. She hoped that one day, he would truly love her wholeheartedly and his feelings for Sakura would be gone.

"...ah, I should have prepared something for us to eat for lunch." She sighed. She loved that awe-struck face Naruto had on whenever she cooked something for him. The fact that she made him happy brought her joy.

She passed by Ichiraku and she realized that she hasn't eaten there for the longest time. Naruto probably hasn't either, considering the fact that he was super busy with everything else. 'I should just buy some to-go for him and Kakashi.' She thought and smiled.

When she walked closer, her eyes caught a glimpse of pink hair and then she immediately stopped in her tracks when she noticed that it was Sakura...but the thing that caught her by surprise was that, sitting right beside Sakura, was Naruto.

Her heart ached at the way he looked at Sakura and smiled so brightly.

Of course. She remembered that life had its way of throwing curve balls at her. Just when she thought things were going so perfectly, everything had to come crashing down again in an instant.

She then shook her head, quickly averted her eyes, and then continued on her way. She already made a promise to herself that she would be a loving wife to him, no matter if he ever came to love her back or not. But also above that, her life's duty was to Konoha and its people and there were more important things to do than to just stand there pitifully and gaze at him like she always did.

She was a leader of Konoha now...she didn't have time to let her personal feelings get in the way of her duties.

* * *

"Yo, Hinata." Kakashi greeted when she appeared in a puff of smoke in front of him. "Too busy to walk here, huh."

"Well, it's easier to transport than to take my time walking." Hinata shrugged and laughed when she saw him reading his Icha Paradise book. It's been a while since she's seen him like this.

"Hm, how's it like, being the wife of an Hokage?"

"It's ok."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "That's it? You're married to one of my star pupils, one of the greatest ninjas ever to be born, savior of Konoha and the most respected shinobi in all nations right now, not to mention he's the person that you've been admiring your whole life, and it's just _ok_?"

Well, geez. He didn't have to say it like that.

Hinata sighed and pushed away the image of Naruto and Sakura together out of her mind. "Well, we did get married unexpectedly, and undoubtedly, he's never had feelings for me before, so it's not really my ideal image of the married life that I wanted. I was also scared at first to handle so many responsibilities as his wife, but I'm actually doing fine right now. He's still the great person he is, and he does care for me, so things are not as hard as I imagined it would be."

"Better answer." Kakashi simply stated before turning his attention back to his book. "...where is he, by the way? I expected you two to show up together."

"Ah...he...he's with Sakura right now. They're probably catching up with each other or something, so it'll probably be a while before he gets here."

Kakashi glanced up at her, trying to read the emotions in her eyes. He was expecting to see a hint of jealousy or sadness, but there was nothing. Was it because she was suddenly good at masking her emotions or was it because it really didn't bother her that Naruto and Sakura were together right now?

Everyone practically knew that Naruto's been crushing on Sakura since the Genin days. And he probably still was, no matter if he was married to Hinata or not.

"Are you not even a bit jealous right now?" Kakashi boldly asked.

Hinata blinked. "What?"

"That fact that he's with Sakura right now, does it not bother you?"

Hinata simply narrowed her eyes at him. "Well, what kind of wife _wouldn't_ be bothered if their husband was with a former crush? But it doesn't matter to me right now because my feelings for him shouldn't be my priority when I'm here to discuss important things with you."

Wow. That was totally not what he expected out of her. "...I apologize, Lady Hinata. I was out of line." He deemed it only right to suddenly address her with the correct honorifics now that she's earned his full respect as the lead kunoichi of the village. Speaking so firmly with authority was something that he never thought he'd see out of Hinata.

"On a more serious note then..." He closed his book and stuff it in his pocket. "...how are things going with the preparations for the Chunin Exams?"

Hinata pulled out a scroll from her robe and handed it to him. "These are the written records of how it'll be this season. Genin teams of four will be led by a jounin leader and we'll also be using the Forest of Death as the grounds for the second stage. However, we'll be using another area instead of the one we used last time. The finals will be held at the Sunagakure Arena."

"And I assume you've discussed this with the Kazekage? Has Gaara agreed to let you guys do it there?"

"Yes, Naruto's already spoken with him. Temari and Kankuro are finished with preparations now and the list of Genin that are participating have also been finalized."

Kakashi smiled prouly at her from underneath his mask. "Well done. The Chunin Exams are set to happen next month, then?"

Hinata nodded.

"Ok, sounds good. You guys seem like you guys have everything under control. Makes it easier for me to not worry so much about him being Hokage now." He chuckled lightly. "Should we wait until the Hokage gets here or will you just report this short meeting to him later?"

"If you're busy, you can go. I can just tell him later."

"Alright, then. I'm looking forward to the prosperity you're going to bring to this village, Lady Hinata." Kakashi made a small bow and then waved goodbye before he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

* * *

Hinata came home early because she had already finished everything in the evening. She glanced at the time and noticed it was only 10pm. She walked over to the kitchen, thinking that she should prepare a late dinner for Naruto, but then she remembered he already ate earlier with Sakura.

Sighing, she instead walked back to the living room and pulled out a box of scrolls from underneath the coffee table. She inquired the scrolls from the ninja academy and from the Konoha library during her training and she already memorized half the techniques listed.

"I should make some time to see if I can actually perform all these." She muttered to herself. If she did learn how to do all the various hand signs, genjutsu, ninjutsu, and taijutsu that she's memorized, she would no doubt be one of the most powerful kunoichis in Konoha. All she needed was time to practice, and free time was hard to get.

Her thoughts were cut short when she felt Naruto's chakra near and then the door opened to reveal a tired-looking Naruto. He blinked in surprise when he saw her sitting down in front of the scrolls.

"I guess we're both home early, huh. How was your day, Hinata?" He grinned at her before closing the door behind him. He walked over to her and sat down next to her, examining what she was doing.

"It was long." She replied bluntly and rolled up the scrolls, putting them back into the box again.

Not taking notice of her short answer, he just continued talking. "Oh yea! Did you get a chance to meet with Kakashi? I was busy so before I knew it, I was already late to meet him."

"Yes, I did. I already explained to him the details of Chunin Exams, so everything's good so far."

"Ah, that's good. Thanks, Hinata." He leaned back on the foot of couch behind him and crossed his arms.

"What about you? How was your day?" Hinata decided to ask.

"It was actually pretty good! One of the best days so far this week."

'Probably because he was with Sakura...' She thought as she put the box of scrolls back under the coffee table. "...how was your lunch with Sakura?"

Naruto's eyes widened slightly. How did she know he was Sakura? "Oh, it was...it was fine. But how did you know I was with her?"

"I passed by Ichiraku on my way to meet Kakashi and I saw you two there. I just didn't want to interrupt because you looked so happy with her and I told Kakashi to not wait for you since I knew you were going to take a while."

Naruto immediately felt guilty. He didn't know how she was feeling right now because he couldn't even read her expression, but the way she said that made it seem like he blew her and Kakashi off just to spend time with Sakura.

Which was evidently true, now that he really thought about it.

Hinata was about to get up, but he quickly reached for her hand and stopped her. She looked at him, curious as to why he suddenly grabbed her like that.

"I'm sorry." He apologized yet again. He felt like he was always going to be apologizing to her in their marriage because he always seemed to hurt her without even realizing it. "I neglected my duty as Hokage today and I just left you alone like that, so I'm sorry. If I'm hurting you, I'm sorry. I know my apologies probably sound stupid but I'm so dense sometimes that I don't even take you into consideration when I'm doing things...so saying sorry is all I can say to you right now. I don't mean to intentionally hurt you like this."

Hinata's eyes softened and she leaned in closer to him, placing her hand gently on top of his. "I forgive you, so you don't have to apologize all the time. I know that Sakura is someone who's precious to you, so I don't hold that against you. And I don't require you to be a perfect husband because I know being Hokage is a huge responsibility. I can't always be a perfect wife to you, too, so it goes both ways."

"But you _are_ perfect, Hinata."

Hinata's heart fluttered. Did she really just hear him say that?

"You accept me so unconditionally...and I can't even do as much as return your feelings..."

Her heart ached for the second time that day. Why was he feeling guilty because he didn't love her back the way she loved him? Feelings weren't supposed to be _forced_, and if he didn't love her, then it was ok. She would wait...she had forever to wait because he was already her husband.

This time, she acted upon her feelings. She figured that it was useless to hold back. Yes, she would wait, but at the same time, she would try her best to win his heart.

Gathering up all the courage she had in her, she leaned forward and when her lips softly touched his, the world seemed to freeze right then and there for them.

* * *

**Review! :)**


	5. Together, We Seek Answers

**Together, We Seek Answers**

* * *

**_Holy shit._**

She kissed him.

Hinata _kissed_ him.

Naruto was sitting in his office the next morning, with his heart beating furiously over what happened yesterday night. It was so unexpected and so crazy and so, so...so _unbelievable_ that she really _kissed_ him.

Hinata _kissed_ him!

My God, no matter how many times he said it over and over again in his head, he still couldn't get over it. That moment when she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his happened so quickly. He didn't even register what exactly happened until_ after_ she pulled away because his mind went completely blank. All he did was stare in shock when she told him that she would wait for his love as long as it would take, and then bid him goodnight before walking away to their room.

He even slept on the couch because it was too nerve-wrecking to be in the same room as her after that just happened. He left way early in the morning and now, sitting at his desk, he couldn't even concentrate on the pile of documents right in front of him.

He reached up and placed his fingertips on his lips and he blushed when he could still clearly remember how warm and soft the feeling of her skin was against his.

He then reminded himself that this was his _wife_ who kissed him. That this was his wife, who only saw it fit and natural to kiss the husband that she loved, even when he didn't particularly love her back.

And the strange thing was, as heart-pounding as that situation was, it didn't at feel awkward when it happened.

It was just so fast. The most intimate thing that they've done was hold hands, and now suddenly, they already had their first kiss as a married couple.

Damn it, how the hell was he supposed to even face her now? He didn't want to feel tense around her, but now he couldn't help it.

Where was this relationship going now that they've done that? Was it supposed to be _normal_ to kiss each other now?

Oh shit, he felt like having a heart attack just thinking that.

"...man, what the hell..." He groaned and buried his face in the palm of his hands. He's never been on such an emotion rollercoaster in his life just because of one woman. Not even Sakura made him experience the million things that he was feeling right now.

It made him feel pathetic.

He was Hokage of Konoha. He was the leader of the most powerful hidden village of the Land of Fire. He was the one who saved this village and won many victories over even the most legendary of shinobis.

And yet, here he was, shaken at the thought of one kiss from his wife.

And it wasn't that he hated it...no, it was quite the opposite. He actually wouldn't mind it if she did kiss him again.

But maybe it was just the fact that she made the first move to do it. He always assumed that since he was the man, he undoubtedly would have to show her physical affection sooner or later, but she did it first. And because it was Hinata...the shy and ever-so-gentle Hinata that he's grown up with. The fact that she did such a bold move just nearly shattered him.

* * *

Hinata, of course, was even more dazed.

She was at the ninja academy again, reviewing over what each jounin was teaching in their classes, but her mind wandered of so often because of her actions yesterday night.

After she had kissed him, she knew she was probably as red as a tomato when she finally entered their bedroom. She was glad that she was able to control her emotions and that she didn't blush in front of him.

But she didn't know how to face him now. He was probably shocked, too, considering that fact that he didn't even come sleep in the bedroom and that he was already gone this morning.

She_ did_ want to win his heart, though, and if that kiss got him to feel so flustered to the point where he found it nerve wrecking to even be in the same room as her, then she was making progress.

She just hoped that it wouldn't make him suddenly shut her out or make him feel indifferent towards her.

She was proud that she was even bold enough to make the first move like that. It definitely wasn't the way she imagined her first kiss to be, but it was close enough to make her content.

"Lady Hinata?"

She was torn out of her thoughts when someone called her name. She turned to see Temari and Kankuro in front of her. "Temari, Kankuro!" She smiled brightly at them as Temari leaned in to give her a hug.

"Sorry we weren't there to witness the biggest wedding of shinobi history. You have no idea how popular you and Naruto are in Suna, my goodness, people are _still_ talking about you two."

"So? Where's the Hokage? We have yet to formally congratulate him, ya know." Kankuro grinned at her.

"He's at the Konoha headquarters right now. Are you guys here to report the finalization of the arena?"

They nodded. "We also have a list of names from the Genin in Suna who will be participating along with Konoha. Gaara insisted that we deliver it personally to the Hokage just for old times' sake."

"Alright, I'll take you guys to him."

* * *

Naruto's ear perked up when he heard the door knob open. He looked up and his heart nearly skipped a beat when he made eye contact with Hinata.

As much as she wanted to look away from him because of her nervousness, she kept her gaze locked on his and forced a smile. "Temari and Kankuro are here."

Naruto cleared his throat. "Ah...of course." He managed to crack a smile at Temari and Kankuro. "Hey guys, long time no see!"

Temari and Kankuro greeted him joyfully and congratulated him on being Hokage. Temari handed over the scroll but before they started to discuss things, Hinata interrupted for a slight moment.

"I'll be taking my leave. I have things to attend to so...I'll see you at home later, Naruto." Hinata replied and Naruto gave a slight nod before she left the room.

* * *

Hinata sighed once she was out of his office.

It was hard to breathe just_ looking_ at him.

She did expect it to be a little tense between them because of her kiss, but she hoped the tension would ease, soon. She just didn't know if it was something that they should be talking about, or if they were going to go on acting like it didn't happen.

She didn't even know if she was going to have the courage to bring it up. She knew he needed time right now, and especially when she did that to him so unexpectedly.

She realized that today she was pretty much free because there was nothing to review at the ninja academy and she could just finish reading the documents that came in for Naruto later. Then she remembered the box of scrolls at home and she guessed it was her lucky day.

"I guess I'll train for a bit."

In matter of a few seconds, she transported herself home to get the scrolls and her weapon pouch, then she appeared in the training grounds away from the village.

She let out a content sigh, happy that she finally had some free time to practice what she's learned so far. She knelt down and unrolled several scrolls on the ground, reading over them briefly before stepping back.

"Here goes."

* * *

Within five hours, the training grounds had multiple trees down, craters in the ground, and the area she was in looked like a major battle just happened.

Hinata stood in the center, now drenched in sweat and panting heavily. Though she was physically exhausted, she's never felt this good before and stared down proudly at her own hands. In a matter of just a few hours, she's already mastered half of the techniques that she memorized in the past four months.

She vowed that she would become stronger, and now, she was happy that she was actually taking action to become a better kunoichi.

'If only father saw me right now...if only Neji was here to witness what I just did...they'd be proud of me.' She thought to herself and a smile graced her face.

She wiped her damp forehead and picked up the scrolls and weapons around her. 'It'd be fun to use these against Naruto when we have time to spar again.' The skills that she just learned wasn't necessarily life-threating and a lot of them required hand-to-hand combat, so it would be great to put them to use during a training session with someone else.

"I wonder if he's done with the preparations with Temari and Kankuro. I should make dinner for him in case he comes home early again." She muttered to herself before transporting herself back home.

Once she was inside, she set the scrolls back in the box under the coffee table and walked over to the kitchen to prepare some food.

In a way, being the wife of the Hokage was lonesome. She didn't have the luxury of going out with her friends whenever she wanted anymore and she had certain responsibilities that bounded her now. It was indeed an honor to be someone who so many people respected and she knew that even her father and Hanabi looked to her as someone who was more capable now, but sometimes that thought alone overwhelmed her. She was reminded by the fact that now the whole village would judge her every decision with Naruto and that was a lot of stress as it is already.

She let out a sigh and shook her head, clearing her thoughts. She then opened the fridge and resumed to cooking.

* * *

Naruto bid goodbye to Temari and Kankuro before they both returned to Suna. He had insisted that they stayed the night since the way back was far, but they told him that they were busy and Gaara needed them back as soon as they were done in Konoha.

He looked down at his desk and sighed in relief when he realized that everything for the Chunin Exams was now finished. The list of Genin participating from both Konoha and Suna was done, the jounin leaders were confirmed, the stage grounds were assembled and ready, and the contents of the exams were already written established by the Konoha Council.

All that's left was to wait for the date to come.

He grabbed the few documents that were left on his desk and signed them to finish off the day before he got up and stretched. He wondered what Hinata was doing right now.

Was she still busy doing things or was she already home?

He realized that they were home a lot earlier together now...and then he suddenly blushed when he remembered that kiss last night.

What was he going to say if he got home and she was there already? Were they supposed to talk about it or act like it never happened? Or was he just supposed to let it go and not even bring it up at all? What was there to talk about, anyways?

He couldn't just ignore her or push her away. He wouldn't do that...he didn't want to hurt her. But at the same time, he felt like he was going to be nervous around her now and he didn't know if he could look her in the eye without thinking about that kiss.

Not that he was blaming her, but her actions put this weird and tense situation between them and now it was just...awkward.

But then again, they were _married_. It_ shouldn't_ be awkward. They would have to learn how to be affectionate towards each other eventually.

He just shook his head and sighed...whatever will happen will happen. If he got home and Hinata acted normal, he would let it go. But if it came up, they would have to eventually talk about it, and he had to be prepared for that.

Just as he was about to push in his chair and turn off the lights, someone knocked on the door.

_Ugh, geez_. It was already late and just wanted to rest right now. Why were people still requesting his presence? "Come in." He sighed and sat back down.

To his surprise, the door opened to reveal none other than Sasuke Uchiha.

"Yo!" Naruto grinned at the sight of his best friend.

Sasuke just smirked and then walked over to him after closing the door.

"Wow, you look different...your hair's down." Naruto laughed as he took a good look at his ex-teammate who he hasn't seen in nearly half a year.

"So do you, Hokage."

Naruto was a bit shocked when Sasuke made a small bow. He never thought that Sasuke Uchiha, the one person who rivaled and challenged him his whole life, the one person that would never kneel to anyone, would bow in respect to him. It almost made him cry, really.

"Well damn, this is new, huh." He chuckled.

"...it's only right that I pay my respects to my friend who's achieved his dream. I left right after the wedding ceremony so I didn't even formally congratulate you yet." Sasuke lifted his head again. "Anyways...I've returned."

It was simple, it was short.

But that statement alone made Naruto swell up with a joy and relief that he hasn't felt in years. "For good?"

Sasuke smirked again and nodded. "I found what I was looking for on my journey and I figured it was the right thing to return here...to return home. I wanted to meet you personally and tell you before I settle down again."

Naruto stared at him proudly and then reached out his hand. If Sasuke felt like it was now the time to finally just settle down in Konoha and live a life with the people who had accepted him as he was from the start...he certainly didn't have anything against that. It was going to be different with him back in the village, but it was a _good_ different. "...well, I have no objections to that. Welcome home, Sasuke."

Sasuke also reached out his arm and they shook hands, acknowledging each other's pride of finally achieving their goals.

Naruto hesitated a bit to ask the question that's been lingering in his mind and because it was gonna slightly hurt him to say it, but he figured, he really had nothing to lose now.

"Sooooo...when are you gonna ask Sakura to marry you?"

* * *

Hinata took a sip of the soup and then turned off the fire when she was content with the taste.

"Ok..." She took out two plates and two bowls, setting them at both end of the table. She then carried the small pot of soup and the sushi over to the table.

Her eyes glanced over to the time. 10 o'clock.

"He should be coming home, soon."

She sat down at her end of the table and stared blankly at the food she made. She still didn't how things were going to be like once he was here. Was he just going to smile at her and greet her like he normally would? Or would he look at her strangely and stay quiet for the rest of the night?

Her heart pounded when she heart the door unlock and open. She slowly turned and sure enough, there he was.

Naruto didn't even look at her yet. He took off his Hokage hat and slipped off his robe, hanging them by the door. When he finally glanced up at her, he pushed away his nervousness and managed to smile at her.

"Hey, Hinata. You already cooked dinner?"

"...yea. I just got done cooking, so the food's still hot. Come eat and then we can go to bed." Hinata also managed to flash a smile at him.

He sat down across from her and picked up the chopsticks.

"So um...how was your day?" Hinata asked quietly.

"It was good. The preparations are all done for the Chunin Exams and I finished signing the documents, so I should be able to have some free time here and there now."

"Ah, that's good, then."

"Oh! And Sasuke's back, for good now. He came by my office earlier and told me that he'll settle down in Konoha now."

"Really? That's great! There's nothing to worry about now and you guys don't have to constantly wait for him anymore."

She was truly happy for him and she was happy that Sasuke was back now. She and Naruto were talking. It was normal.

But the conversation was _short_...and that bothered her.

She didn't even know what to ask him anymore, and she didn't have anything else to say about Sasuke, so she just stayed quiet and picked up her chopsticks.

To be honest, she wasn't even that hungry. She glanced over at Naruto again and noticed he wasn't eating either. He was just poking around at the sushi and he didn't even get any of the soup yet.

"If you're not hungry or you're too tired, you can just go rest." She replied before getting up. "I'm actually not that hungry, too, so...I'll clean up." She picked up her own plate and utensils and walked back over to the kitchen cabinets to put them away.

Naruto just sat quietly as she came back to get his plate and the rest of the food on the table.

After covering the food up, she turned back around and raised an eyebrow, wondering why he was still just sitting there. "Are you waiting for me?"

"Ah...yea." Naruto finally spoke and then stood up. "Sorry, you cooked dinner and everything-,"

"I already told you to stop apologizing, Naruto." She smiled reassuringly and walked over to him. "It's ok, it's not a big deal. Let's just go to bed, now, ok?" She turned and was about to walk to the bedroom first, but he slowly reached for her and gently took a hold of her hand.

She turned back to face him and once again blinked curiously. "...is something that matter?"

Although he was thinking a million things right now, he just stared at her face with a blank expression. Though he was happy that Sasuke was back for good now, and he felt like he should be rejoicing...right now, all he could think of, was her. She was standing right here in front of him, yet his mind was filled with her. He once again reminded himself that this was his wife. Hinata Hyuuga was his wife...and she was willing to wait for him, no matter how long it would take.

"Naruto?" She narrowed her eyes. Why wasn't he answering her and why did he seem so distant?

"I need to clear something out of my head."

Hinata didn't quite get what he was saying. "Um...ok...? And what-," Her sentence was cut short when he suddenly pulled her closer. She blushed when she realized how close he was. "N...Naru-,"

Her heart nearly stopped and her knees felt weak when he crashed his lips on hers.

**_Whoa._ **

Whoa, whoa whoa.

What the hell? That happened out of no where.

_Naruto was kissing her. _

Holy shit, was this really happening right now?

The love of her life, the person who she thought would never do such affectionate things like this, is actually kissing her.

Her eyes were widened in shock but slowly, she let them flutter closed as they stayed like that for a while longer. He pulled away and she thought he was done, but she nearly gasped when he leaned in once again, capturing her mouth with his.

He was kissing her so passionately that she thought she was going to faint at any moment now. His hand that wasn't holding her came up to cup her face and he kissed her even deeper.

She never imagine her first kiss from him to be so _ravenous_. It was heart-pounding and _exciting, _and it left her light-headed and breathless...literally.

He finally broke away, panting. "...geez, Hinata..." He caressed her cheek with his thumb and stared into her dazed pearl eyes. "...how can you just kiss me and then _not_ expect me to be flustered for the whole day?"

"...I...I'm sorry..." She didn't know what to say. She was utterly speechless right now. She didn't think that one small kiss had such an affect on him that he'd be like this...it was like he just lost control.

He gazed at her for a moment longer before he smiled softly at her. "You're my wife, Hinata. And you don't have to apologize for treating me like a wife would treat her husband...and I promise you..."

Hinata blushed when he leaned in and gave her a soft peck on the lips.

"...I'll give you the proper answer to your feelings when the time comes."

* * *

**Review! :D**


	6. Together, We Find Comfort

**Together, We Find Comfort**

* * *

He couldn't find any reasoning as to why he kissed her like that.

He just thought that since she kissed him first, the only solution to stop his nervousness was to kiss her back.

And surprisingly, it worked.

After that, the next couple of weeks were strange. Naruto was slowly learning things about her when he spent time with her and he came to realize that he very, very much liked it when he was together with her.

He couldn't deny the fact that she was beautiful.

So many times when he was with her, his heart would skip a beat at the sound of her laughter or at the sight of her warm smile. So many times, he would have the urge to just lean in and kiss her on a whim. And so many times, he would find himself desiring her like a man would desire a woman.

It was very embarrassing for him to admit it to himself that he was so attracted to her like this. It was weird because he's never seen her in this way until now, and he regretted that he never saw how beautiful of a person she was.

He woke up on this particular day to find her gazing lovingly at him and for the first time, he felt butterflies in his stomach for someone other than Sakura.

"...good morning." She greeted and smiled at him.

"Morning." Naruto smiled back at her. He then raised his arm up and gently caressed the side of her cheek. It was rare that she was awake before him...usually, he was the first one up and he was already gone out the door by the crack of dawn.

It was nice to wake up together like this.

"Do you have time to eat breakfast? I can cook something for you really quick before you go." Hinata was about to get up, but he reached for her hand and pulled her back down.

"Stay. Just for little bit, let's stay like this..." Naruto pulled her closer to him and embraced her tightly.

Hinata felt herself blushing. It was the first time that he's held her so intimately like this. Ever since that kiss he gave her, he's been showering her with affections a lot more. Not that she minded, really.

She closed her eyes and leaned on his chest, savoring the warmth of his arms around her. It felt so good to be in the embrace of the man she loved.

"...love you..." She muttered quietly against his shirt. She's been confessing that openly to him lately, too. She figured she didn't have anything to lose and there was nothing wrong with telling her husband that she loved him.

Naruto's never had someone say that to him before. He wasn't used to her confessing that so openly to him...and it wasn't that he hated hearing it, because it felt amazing to have someone truly love him, but he just always felt bad whenever she said it.

Because he knew he still couldn't say it back, yet.

* * *

Unfortunately, their morning was cut short because Naruto suddenly remembered they were supposed to be traveling to Suna for the finals of the Chunin Exams.

Kakashi, along with Tenten, Shikamaru, and Kiba each already led 2 groups of Genin teams to Suna two days earlier. The Konoha Council and some of the village elders also already left the previous day.

Everyone was pretty much waiting for Naruto and Hinata's arrival. It took about three days to get to Suna from Konoha for the average ninja, but for Naruto and Hinata, it was probably only going to take a day and a half.

"Make sure to bring a water bag or a gourd. We need to keep hydrated." Naruto reminded her as he slipped on his orange Hokage robe.

"Yes, I already have a water gourd in my weapon pouch." Hinata nodded.

Naruto watched as she slipped on her lavender robe and tied back her long hair.

Ah, geez. Why was it that she looked so _graceful_ doing something as simple as that?

Hinata glanced up and she blinked curiously at the way he was gazing at her. "...what's wrong?"

Naruto simply smiled at her and shook his head. "Nothing."

Hinata raised an eyebrow but she didn't question him any further. She still felt his eyes on her as she ran her fingers through her hair, letting loose a few strands of her bangs to frame her face. She pulled down the hair-tie so that her ponytail wasn't so tight and then tightened her robe around her feminine curves.

Naruto suddenly felt his pride swell up. Hinata Hyuuga, the Byakugan princess, the ever so-gentle and kind hearted woman he knew growing up, was his _wife_. Unlike the first few events leading up to their marriage when he felt so doubtful and strange about being married to her, he was now content and overjoyed that someone who practically looked like a goddess and had such a personality of a virtuous woman was his spouse.

She was all _his_.

He was torn out of his thoughts and he nearly jumped when someone suddenly knocked on their door.

'Everyone should be on their way to Suna right now...who could it be?' Hinata wondered as she walked over and opened the door.

Much to their surprise, the door opened to reveal none other than Sasuke and Sakura.

"Hokage. Lady Hinata." Sakura flashed a smile at them as she and Sasuke both made a small bow to them.

"Hm? What are you guys still doing here? I assumed you two already left with the rest of the jounin to Suna." Though Naruto was never going to admit it, it bothered him seeing them together. He just wasn't really well adjusted to the fact that they were officially a real couple now.

"Well, we wanted to go with you guys!" Sakura turned so that they could see the small bag that she packed. "Sasuke wanted to leave a few days ago with the others, but I convinced him to stay. Everyone left in groups, so I just thought it'd be good for you guys to have some company instead of traveling there alone."

"That's so kind of you! That's great, right, Naruto? It's been a while since we've all spent some time together anyways," Hinata happily replied as she walked out the door to stand beside them.

"Aha, yea! It'll be awesome!" Naruto rarely faked his smiles, but he did this time. It was going to be difficult for him to be traveling with both the wife he was trying to figure out his feelings for and with his first love and best friend, who were now dating.

He let out a small sigh as he walked out to join them and locked the door behind him as they all dashed out of the Konoha headquarters.

* * *

God, how he _hated_ the way to Suna.

As soon as they were nearing the border of the Land of Fire and approaching the Land of Wind, it was nothing but desert for miles ahead. It wasn't any better that they were sprinting at a vigorous speed in the scorching heat, too.

Naruto glanced over at Sakura and noticed sweat dripping down the side of her cheeks. "You tired? We can rest for a bit."

Sasuke took notice of this and then he took a hold of Sakura's hand, slowing her down. "We'll take a break. We've been running for a few hours now." He insisted as they all slowed and then stopped running.

"Haha, sorry guys, I'm not used to this heat." Sakura apologized as she drank from the water gourd that Sasuke offered to her.

Naruto couldn't pull his gaze away from them. To see Sasuke care for her like this and to see them casually holding hands or just touching in general was so different. He knew couldn't do anything about it no matter how much it hurt. She was so happy now and Sasuke finally, after so many years of rejecting and even coming close to killing her, accepted her feelings. Naruto could even see a hint of affection and warmth in his eyes whenever he was with Sakura.

His thoughts vanished when he felt something cool on his skin. He suddenly turned his attention to Hinata, who was beside him, and noticed that she had a cool and damp handkerchief in her hand, patting away the sweat on his forehead.

"Here, drink some." Hinata took out a gourd of water and handed it towards him.

Naruto immediately felt that horrible guilt hit the bottom of his stomach again. Here he was, looking longingly at Sakura and even suggested that they rested for her sake, that he didn't even pay attention to his own wife.

His heart ached ever so slightly when he noticed how flushed her cheeks were from the heat, how parched her lips looked, and how her bangs now stuck to the sides of her cheeks. Despite her exhausted state, she even wiped away his sweat and offered water to him first before caring about herself.

He took a hold of her hand that was patting his forehead and lowered it down. "I'm sorry." He muttered quietly. Gosh, he didn't know how many times he was going to say that to her. He was probably going to apologize to her his whole life.

"I told you to stop apologizing, Naruto. She's someone precious to you, so of course you'd care for her well-being."

_Damn it_. Why did she see through him so_ easily_? He hated it that she knew that he still had these lingering feelings for Sakura and yet, she was so patient about it. The fact that she simply smiled so lovingly at him only made him feel worse.

Hinata wasn't oblivious to it. Of course she saw the hurt in his eyes when Sasuke and Sakura stood together at their door earlier. Of course she noticed his glances at Sakura for the past three hours of travel. Of course she knew the discomfort in his heart when he saw Sasuke caring for Sakura.

And of course, her own heart felt like it broke into pieces over and over again.

But she pushed her painful feelings away and stayed strong. She would still smile at him, care for him, worry about him, and she would still love him no matter how much he may still love Sakura.

Her eyes widened and her heart pounded furiously when he suddenly leaned in and placed a quick and gentle kiss on her parched lips.

That was the second kiss she's ever received from him.

She blushed when she heard a giggle from Sakura and saw Sasuke smirk.

Naruto didn't even register what he just did and he also blushed faintly when he realized he just kissed Hinata in front of them. He just suddenly wanted to provide some sort of comfort for her because he knew he was hurting her. Naturally, his eyes traveled down to her lips and before he knew it, he just did it on impulse.

"Sorry, it's just that..." Sakura let out a small laugh before she continued. "...I'm just kinda happy right now. That was cute."

"I didn't think I would ever see you two do that." Sasuke added in, keeping the smirk evident on his face.

Their comments only made the couple feel more embarrassed.

"W...what? It's normal for married couples to do things like that, you know." Naruto quickly defended.

"I know, it's just that, it's so refreshing to see you actually be affectionate towards her after all these years." Sakura beamed happily at them. "I'm just glad to see you two like this."

"...and we're glad to see you and Sasuke together, too." Hinata replied as she smiled at them.

"I know, right? I finally got him after all my hard work." Sakura giggled as she linked her arms with Sasuke.

Hinata turned her attention to Naruto, to see if there was any hint of jealousy in his eyes seeing them like that, but she was taken by surprise when she saw that he was gazing at her instead.

Her heart fluttered when he took the handkerchief out of her hand and gently patted away the sweat on her forehead just like she did to him earlier. "Geez, Hinata...how can you just worry about me first when you're obviously tired, too?"

"...I'm ok, Naruto." Hinata quickly reassured him and she was happy that he genuinely cared for her.

Naruto's eyes once again trailed down to her lips, but he restrained himself this time. He didn't know why _everything_ about her was so enticing. Just a few moments ago, all he was thinking about was Sakura, and now...to be honest, he didn't even care that Sasuke and Sakura was there with them.

All he saw, all he thought about at this moment, was Hinata.

* * *

**Whew. Lots of NaruHina moments in this chapter, huh, lol.**

**Review :)**


	7. Together, We Know

**Together, We Know**

* * *

Much to their relief, they finally reached the river after a whole day of running in the heat.

"Finally!" Naruto exclaimed as he ran first to the water and bent down to wet his face. "Ah, so refreshing!"

Hinata followed closely after, re-filling her water gourd. "The sun is already setting so we should rest here for tonight."

"It's a good thing that there are a few trees here. Sasuke and I will gather some wood for fire."

"It's ok, I can do it!" Naruto butted in. "You guys rest and set up for the night. I'll go get wood and see if I can catch something for us to eat down the river."

"I'll come with you, too." Hinata replied as she finished filling her gourd and stuffed it back in her weapon couch.

"Especially you, Hinata. You need to rest."

"I'm fine." Hinata reassured him.

Naruto just shook his head. "I want you to stay here."

Hinata wanted to help. She wasn't really all that tired anymore and she wanted to do something more productive than to just set up their sleeping futons. "But...can't I help?"

Naruto was about to oppose, but he saw a hint of disappointment in her expression and then he let out a small sigh before he reached out his hand to her. "Fine, let's go."

Hinata's eyes immediately lit up and she held his hand before they both dashed off.

Sakura and Sasuke were left standing there in silence.

Sasuke glanced at her, noticing the obvious pout on her face. "What?"

"Why can't we be cute like them?"

Sasuke almost laughed. Almost.

* * *

Naruto used Shadow Clone Jutsu to scatter around the area to bring wood. While his clones were busy with that, he and Hinata walked further down stream to the shallow parts of the river to see if there were any fishes.

Hinata activated her Byakugan and scanned the water. "There's a bunch of fishes here." She told him.

"Awesome! Lets-" He stopped and his eyes widened when Hinata suddenly did a few hand signs and shot out chakra that looked like sharp needles from her palm into a specific spot in the water. Within seconds, several fishes floated up the surface.

"Whoa!" He nearly gaped. "How'd you do that?"

"It's just something simple I recently learned from the scrolls I got from the ninja academy." Hinata replied as she walked into the river and pulled out a string from her weapon pouch, tying together the fishes.

Naruto realized in that moment that there was still so much he didn't know about her. He didn't know what she was capable of, how strong she truly was as a kunoichi, and he honestly didn't even know something as simple as her favorite color.

He walked over to her and she blinked curiously at him when he took the fishes from her hand and gently threw them near the shore.

"What's wrong? Did you want to catch more?"

"Mmm, no." Naruto then took a few steps back from her and she was surprised when he suddenly took off his Hokage hat and his robe and also threw it on the shore. "Show me what you've learned so far."

"Reallly? Can I?" Hinata smiled hopefully at him.

"Don't hold back." Naruto nodded at her as he shifted into a fighting stance.

Hinata was excited. They were surrounded by water, too, so she'll have a chance to use the water techniques that she learned. And it was fun sparring with him...he didn't go easy on her, which helped her to fight to her full potential.

She didn't waste any time and dashed towards him. Then in a blink of an eye, she disappeared and reappeared behind him, attempting to attack him from behind.

Naruto immediately ducked and then dodged her hit. He remembered that she had quick reflexes so he skillfully blocked her when she did a quick backflip and tried to strike at his chest.

He was taken by surprise when she swiftly did a circular hand motion and pushed harshly against him, causing him to stumble back. Ah, he forgot she was also physically stronger now.

Then out of no where, one of his clones appeared behind her, hitting a pressure point on her neck.

Hinata lightly gasped at the sudden hit, but she quickly whispered a release jutsu to free herself before her body was paralyzed and then shot out a chakra needle at the clone.

Naruto was quite impressed at how quickly she reacted to his attack. It seemed like she was more aware and way more skilled than during their last sparring. He immediately jumped up when she performed some hand signs and pressed her palm against the surface of the water, making the river split right towards him.

'That's new.' He thought as he landed back down and then dashed towards her.

She quickly shifted her shoulder away before he could hit her and then dipped her fingers into the water.

His eyes averted to her hand and he narrowed his eyes when she gracefully spun around and then pointed a finger at him. He winced when he felt a sudden sharp pain on his left arm and realized that when she pointed at him, she had shot out water droplets at a lightning speed.

He frowned and then focused his attention back on her. She ran towards him and twisted around to throw a kick at him, but he blocked her kick with his own leg.

Her Byakugan followed his every movement as they engaged in close hand-to-hand combat. She managed to block and push back every punch and hit he threw at her, but as fast she tried to counterattack, he also managed to avoid hits from her.

The water around them rippled and splashed at their every move. By the time they stumbled back from each other, they were both drenching wet.

Hinata panted heavily and gazed intensely at him.

Naruto matched her glare with his own serious expression.

In a blink of an eye, they both ran towards each other. Naruto realized she was aiming for another strike to his chest as he observed the way her arm slightly pulled back to gather enough power to project to her palm.

He simply smirked and right when she was close enough to hit him, he swiftly dodged her attack.

She gasped when she felt his strong arms wrap around her waist and then suddenly felt him flip her to the ground. She winced at the pain that rippled through her back side as she harshly came in contact with the water and hit the ground below.

Naruto saw her expression and then he quickly loosened his hold on her body. "Sorry! I used a bit too much force-,"

"I...it's fine." Hinata reassured him as she slowly sat up. It was a good thing they weren't too deep in the water or she would've been drowning when he pummeled her down like that.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and he reached towards her, brushing away her wet hair from her face. "You sure? I don't want to give you any serious injuries...I got too carried away. You're really good, Hinata."

She smiled warmly at him, thankful that he praised her for her growth. "I'm ok, promise."

He let out a small sigh of relief and his eyes softened at her. Truth be told, he admired her. She was gentle and kind-spirited, yet strong-willed and motivated. He was more and more attracted to her the more he knew her.

Hinata blushed and her heart ached slightly at the way he was gazing at her. The way he was looking at her right now...was the same way he looked at Sakura. Did that mean he was falling for her, too? Or was she simply misinterpreting it?

"...Naruto..?" She called his name quietly and then shivered at his gentle touch. His hand that brushed away her hair now came upon her cheek and her heart nearly skipped a beat when she felt his thumb brush across her lower lip.

Why was he gazing at her so longingly like that? Why was he touching her so gently as if she was something fragile and precious? It made her confused. She didn't know whether or not she should get her hopes up. Maybe he was doing this just in the spur of the moment and he wasn't even realizing it.

She reached up and placed her hand on his, pulling it away from her face. "...um, let's go back. Sasuke and Sakura are probably hungry by now. We're all wet, too, so we should get back and get the fire started quickly."

Naruto finally looked away from her and then he softly cleared his throat.

"Uh...yea. Let's go."

* * *

After setting up the fire, they placed the fishes over it to cook.

Naruto didn't know how Gaara lived in this insane weather. In the daytime, it was crazy hot, and at night, it was freezing cold. Maybe it was a bad idea to spar in the river earlier.

"You guys better not catch a cold." Sakura sighed as she shook her head at them.

"Ahaha, we forgot how cold it gets at night." Naruto grinned cheekily as he scooted closer to the fire to warm himself.

"We packed two blankets. We'll share one and you two can have this one." Sasuke replied as he pulled out two blankets from Sakura's bag and tossed one over to Naruto.

"Awesome! Thanks!"

Naruto kept his attention on them. He watched as Sasuke sat down next to Sakura and much to his surprise, embraced Sakura with the blanket. He never thought he would see Sasuke embrace a woman, ever. He finally forced himself to look away when Sakura smiled lovingly at Sasuke and leaned closer to him.

Hinata glanced at him and she once again noticed that expression. Was it really impossible to fully have his heart? When he was gazing longingly at her earlier really just because it was in the spur of the moment? Whenever he looked at Sasuke and Sakura, she knew he wished that he was in Sasuke's place right now, holding Sakura in his arms.

But no...he was married to her. And though he was slowly letting her in his heart, she still knew for a fact that she might never be able to compare to how much Sakura meant to him.

She let out a small sigh and she could see her own breath in the air. Her lips slightly trembled at how cold it was and then she pulled her legs up and hugged herself. Her damp clothes weren't really helping, either.

Naruto's averted his eyes to Hinata and he felt bad when he saw that she was huddled up and hugging herself. Ugh, shit, he did it again.

He shouldn't be busy worrying over another man's woman when he should be worrying about his own wife. He unfolded the blanket and then scooted closer to her, pulling the blanket over her small body.

"...sorry-,"

"Don't." Hinata suddenly cut him off. "Naruto...stop apologizing."

Naruto was about to say sorry again, but he restrained himself. Hinata boldly leaned over, linking her arm with his, and then laid her head on his shoulders. He smiled softly at her gesture and then intertwined his fingers with hers.

Yea...he definitely shouldn't be jealous of Sasuke and Sakura anymore.

* * *

Gaara tapped his pen on the desk repeatedly. "They should be here already. The Chunin Exam finals are happening this evening and Naruto told me he'd be here by noon today."

Temari rolled her eyes at how impatient he was. "It's a long travel here, Gaara. I bet they just rested for the night so they should be on their way now...and it's just 10AM, geez."

Gaara just let out a sigh and then stayed quiet. He was just a bit over-stressed. It was the first time in his role as Kazekage that Suna held such a big event like this, so the preparations he had to do were overwhelming. The Chunin Exam itself brought back bad memories for him.

Other than that...he was interested to see the skills of the young ninjas that made it to the final round. Each generation had their fair shares of ninjas who stood out among the others.

"Aren't you excited? It'll be your first time seeing Naruto and Hinata as a couple. Everyone's been talking about it here and in Konoha." Temari grinned.

"Ah." Gaara was happy for them. He did want to attend the marriage ceremony, but he had too much duties in Suna to make it.

He felt much relief when there was a knock on the door. Temari walked over to open it and Naruto and Hinata walked in, followed by Sasuke and Sakura.

"Yo!" Naruto grinned.

"I hope your travel here wasn't too harsh." Gaara got up and shook hands with him.

"Oh, don't even get me started." Naruto chuckled. "So? How are things gonna go today?"

"The finals will start within 3 hours. People from both Suna and Konoha are already filling up the arena."

"That's good. I'm excited to see who will win! It's always exciting to see what skills the young ones have."

Gaara nodded then walked past them, leading them out of his office. "In the meantime, I have lunch prepared."

They followed him as he walked through the Sunagakure headquarters until they stopped in front of two sliding doors. Naruto's eyes sparkled when Gaara slid the door open to reveal a large room with a table filled with mounts and mounts of food.

"I will have to head over to the arena first to tend to some things. You guys enjoy." Gaara replied before he and Naruto bowed to each other.

"All right, see you in a bit."

Naruto once again turned his attention to the table and he was the first to sit down. "Come on, Hinata! This almost looks as good as your cooking!" Hinata laughed softly at him as he took a hold of her hand and pulled her down to sit with him.

Sasuke and Sakura took their seats on the opposite side. "I'm surprised they're able to get all these foods in the middle of the desert like this."

"Well, we do help. We export a lot of resources to Suna as their trade partner." Hinata replied, recalling all of the documents she read about the trade system in Konoha.

"Uwaah, I forget that you're an expert at knowing Konoha's economy now." Sakura chuckled. "Glad to know we're being led by a woman who's intelligent like you, Hinata."

Hinata smiled at the comment and she made a small bow to thank Sakura.

Naruto glanced over at Hinata, proud that she was both smart and humble. This time, before he dug into the food shamelessly like he always does, he grabbed his chopsticks and picked up some sushi along with a piece of salmon and placed it nicely on the plate in front of her.

Hinata blinked and stared at him in surprise. He usually never waited for her when there was food on the table, nor did he ever make sure there was food in her own plate before he ate first.

He simply smiled at her and her heart skipped a beat when she realized he was gazing at her with that affectionate expression again. "Eat lots, ok? It's gonna be a long day."

Sakura stared in awe at them and she nudged her elbow at Sasuke, pouting again.

"See. Why can't we be cute like them?"

* * *

After the meal, they all left the Sunagakure headquarters and headed towards the arena. Once they entered in, Naruto's eyes widened at the crowd. There seemed to be a lot more people in the audience than the previous years.

"Whoa, you weren't kidding when you said the arena was already filling up." He chuckled as he took his seat next to Gaara. Hinata sat down next to him and then Sasuke and Sakura took sat down behind the couple.

"Ah. Probably because of you." Gaara shrugged.

"Hm? Why me?"

"Well, from what I heard from Temari, you and Hinata are a pretty hot topic right now. I'm guessing a bunch of my own people here in Suna are here early to witness you two together before the Chunin Exam finals even start."

"Really? But...it's been nearly 5 months since our wedding..." Hinata was astonished that they were still popular. Sure, she expected the attention when they first got married, but now when it's almost been half a year since the ceremony, people were _still_ hyped up about it? Her eyes roamed the crowd and she suddenly felt self-conscious when she realized almost everyone's eyes were looking at her direction.

Naruto was also a bit shocked. He was taken back by surprise when he also realized the sudden attention from the crowd.

Gaara merely smirked and then got up, walking over to the microphone stand in the middle of the balcony that extended out into the opening. "I am honored that during this season of the Chunin Exams, Konohagakure has requested to use our arena for the finals. It is a pleasure to be able to host such an important event to promote Genin into Chunin and to see what skills each individual ninja possesses. I also proudly welcome my good friend to Suna." He turned slightly to Naruto and Hinata, urging them to stand up.

Naruto held Hinata's hand as they both stood up for the crowd.

"People of Suna, please warmly welcome the Hokage and his wife, Naruto and Hinata Uzumaki."

Like the day of their wedding, the crowd roared at the mention of their names.

"Hahaha, we're like a famous couple or something." Naruto chuckle lightly to Hinata.

"...well, I feel like they're excited to see you more than me. After all, you did save Konoha. You're a hero to all the shinobi nations and you will forever be a legend to both Konoha and these people." Hinata lightly squeezed his hand and smiled at him.

Naruto didn't know how she did that. Whenever he was with her, she always encouraged him and made him feel like he was the most beloved person in the world. She never once doubted his ability nor his dreams and right now...she was standing next to him proudly as his wife. She was willing to be by his side and bear both the burdens and the pride that came along with being an Hokage.

Then a thought struck him and he suddenly changed his perspective. If he had married Sakura instead, he knew for a fact that she wouldn't be as patient and as gentle as Hinata was. She wouldn't gaze at him like he was the most precious person to her, like Hinata did. She wouldn't be willing to give her heart to him and love him wholeheartedly like Hinata did.

No, she wouldn't be half the woman that Hinata was. And it wasn't that he was degrading or putting her down or anything like that, because above all, Sakura was still one of his best friends, regardless if he had ever loved her or not.

It was just that now that he really thought about it, there was no other woman who came in mind that could beat Hinata. Not even Sakura. No one could match Hinata's beauty, her kind and warm personality, her persevering strength, and her unwavering faith in the people who she held precious to her heart.

And then it suddenly hit him...that he might possibly come to love Hinata more than he ever loved anyone else.

* * *

**More to come! Review :)**


	8. Together, We Desire

**Together, We Desire**

* * *

Everyone from Konoha rested that night in Suna before they headed back.

Naruto was sitting on the roof of the Sunagakure headquarters, staring up at the moon. Seeing the moon so clearly like this was probably the only thing he liked about Suna.

Earlier, everyone was amazed at the outcomes of the tournament. Naruto himself was still surprised and quite proud that so many young ninjas from Konoha won...he was even more amazed at how skilled they were.

"Wasn't that amazing earlier?"

Naruto turned around and smiled at the sight of his beautiful wife. "Right?! I'm so glad the next generation has a handful of capable ninjas. It makes me relieved for the future of Konoha."

Hinata walked over to him and stood by him, also admiring the full moon. "Me, too. Knowing that all those young ninjas will be under your leadership for the next years to come makes me content. I really believe that you will make Konoha a strong village."

Gosh. She just always knew what to say to make him happy. He moved closer to her and gently wrapped his arms around her, giving her a warm hug. Hinata relaxed in his embrace, hugging him back, and then leaned her head on his chest. She was so glad that he wasn't afraid to show her affection like this.

"What's even better...is that you'll be right beside me leading the next generation. I wouldn't be able to do this all on my own." Naruto muttered softly.

Hinata blushed faintly at his statement and she couldn't help but smile. It seemed like he was finally noticing her...after so many years, he was actually taking interest in her. It felt amazing to know that he at least confessed that he wanted her by his side. "...I love you, Naruto..."

Unlike the many times when he felt guilty whenever she said that to him, this time, he didn't particularly feel bad or have any sense of pity...which was little strange.

* * *

The next morning, they traveled in one big group instead of going separate this time. Naruto, along with the elders and Konoha Council led the way while the rest of the people from Konoha followed closely behind.

Naruto checked behind him once in a while to see if Hinata looked ok. He was surprise to see her alongside Kiba, laughing and smiling...and though he knew they were just close friends, for some strange reason, it just felt _irritating_ to see them together.

He definitely couldn't just go over and interrupt them because he was leading everyone. And frankly, it'd be rude. 'It's ok for her to talk to another guy if he's just a friend.' He let out a sigh and calmed himself down.

* * *

"Tsk, I'm kinda jealous now, ya' know." Kiba smirked.

"Of what?" Hinata blinked.

"Of Naruto, of course."

"Why? Because he's Hokage?"

"No, because he has you."

Hinata blushed. That was different, coming from Kiba. "Um…you're jealous because of that?"

"Well yea. You're my best friend…and you've grown into such a beautiful woman. You probably don't even know how many Konoha men are jealous of Naruto because he has you." Kiba chuckled.

That was surprising. Men actually…desired her? She never even noticed it. Her eyes glanced up and her attention landed on Naruto's broad back. Well, to be honest, even if there were men who desired her, it didn't really matter to her. She was a married woman…and better yet, she was married to the Hokage. She was married to the man who was respected by all ninjas in the world right now. She was married to the one person she loved with all her heart.

Kiba looked to where she was gazing at and he simply smiled when he realized she was staring at Naruto. He was genuinely happy for her. She was finally beside the one man who she's longed for, for her whole life. "Are you happy, Hinata?"

Hinata turned her attention back to him and she nodded without hesitation. "I'm more than happy, Kiba."

"He may be Hokage, and I have mad respect for him, but if he happens to hurt you in anyway…just know that Shino and I will always be right here for you, ok?"

Hinata laughed softly and her eyes softened at him. "I know. Thanks, Kiba."

* * *

Once they entered the border of the Land of Fire, Naruto stopped to let everyone rest before they continued home. He was going to rest earlier, but he figured it'd be better to do it in the forest with plenty of shade instead of in the middle of the desert.

"There are plenty of streams here, so feel free to venture out to refill your water gourds. We'll move out in twenty minutes." Naruto announced.

His eyes then scanned around to see where Hinata was and then he felt that same irritating feeling again when he saw her sitting down next to Kiba. He watched as Kiba offered her an onigiri and then much to his surprise, he saw a couple of men go up to her, offering her their water gourds. 'What the hell…? Don't they know how to keep their distance from the Hokage's wife?' He narrowed his eyes.

He kept his attention on her as she simply smiled at them and shook her head, politely rejecting their offers. He felt a little relieved knowing that she was a faithful and loyal person, so no matter how many men pursued her, she wouldn't waver.

Well, at least, he hoped she didn't.

When the men scattered away, and it was just her and Kiba again, she coincidentally glanced his way and their eyes met. He stood captivated by her pearl eyes and he swore his heart skipped a beat when she flashed him a quick smile before Kiba started talking to her again.

Right...he wasn't going to restrict her from being with her friends. If she wanted to spend time with Kiba or Shino, he had no right to tear that freedom away from her. She was busy and restricted enough just being married to him, so being able to talk freely with her teammates again was something that he knew was important to her.

"Hokage."

He forced himself to look away from Hinata and then turned to see Kakashi grinning behind his mask.

"You look a little irritated, Hokage. That's rare."

Naruto blinked and then he softly cleared his throat and loosened his expression. "It's nothing."

Kakashi's glanced over to where Hinata was and he smirked. "I'm assuming you're jealous that Kiba is so close with your wife?"

Naruto sighed. Why was it that everyone saw through him so easily? "...yea...I'm not too thrilled about that. But he's her friend, and it's not my place to restrict her from being with her friends...even if it's another man."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. The old Naruto he knew would definitely make a scene and be rowdy about it, but wow...being Hokage really seemed to make him grow up. Maybe it was just the fact that he had someone as patient and humble as Hinata by his side so he knew he shouldn't cause a scene. Or maybe it was just because he respected and loved her enough to know that it was ok for her to have guy friends.

Either way, Naruto definitely matured.

"...it's a little different to see you like this, but it's a good thing."

Naruto blinked curiously. "To see me like what...?"

Kakashi chuckled. "Well, to see you love her back like this. I think everyone's truly happy that you chose Hinata as your wife."

"Ah...yea." Naruto couldn't flat out say that he _didn't_ love her...because truthfully, he knew for a fact that he was developing feelings for her. To say that he felt nothing for her just didn't seem right...but to say that he loves her didn't seem right either.

Whatever it was that he felt for Hinata just wasn't as strong as what he felt for Sakura.

* * *

Of course, even when they reached Konoha two days later, Naruto's duties were far from over. He groaned when he opened his office to see a pile of new documents ready to be read and signed. While everyone else was going to be sound asleep tonight, he'd have to pull an all-nighter just to finish looking through it.

He walked over to his desk and sat down. He let out a yawn stretched out his arms, and cracked his knuckles before he started sorting out the papers to sign. He was never fond of reading, but ever since he became Hokage, he's probably read more in these past few months than in his whole life.

Just as he was about to pick up his pen to sign his signature on the first document, he sensed an all-too-familiar chakra. He looked up and suddenly felt ten times better when he saw Hinata come in.

"Hey." She greeted him quietly and then walked over to sit across from him.

"Why didn't you just go straight home to sleep?"

"Well...I can ask you the same question." Hinata's eyes averted down the pile of papers in front of him. "Can't you do that tomorrow? It's been a long three days of traveling."

"I just thought it'd be better to get it over with." Naruto shrugged.

"I'm gonna get worried about you if you stay up all night. Let's go home and then you can come back tomorrow morning." Hinata insisted. She didn't want him to overwork himself. He was always full of energy and no matter how tired or exhausted he was, he had the tendency to keep going. She loved his ambition, but sometimes she wished he knew his limits.

She reached over and gently placed her hand over his. "Please?"

Naruto stayed quiet and his eyes roamed over his paperwork. Then he sighed in defeat and placed the pen back down on the desk. "...how can I say no to you?" He flashed a smile at her and then got up, walking over to her side.

She gladly entangled her fingers with his as they dashed to their place. Within a matter of a few seconds, they were both already in front of their front door.

Naruto unlocked the door and they both went it, taking off their Hokage attires. Naruto hung his Hokage hat and robe on the side of the couch and then let himself sink in the comfortable cushion.

Hinata slid off her lavender robe and then she placed it nicely on the coffee table. She heard Naruto patting the spot beside him and she guessed that that meant he wanted her to sit with him. She simply smiled at him and sat down next to him. She nearly gasped in surprise when he suddenly wrapped one arm around her small waist and pulled her closer to him. Then she couldn't help but blush when she felt him place a soft kiss on the side of her head. Ah, geez...whenever he was like this, her heart felt like it would burst.

Naruto closed his eyes and then let himself relax. It was comforting and relieving to be next to her like this. It was strange that her mere presence gave him such a sense of security like this.

Hinata glanced up and was glad to see how peaceful his expression was. It was a good thing he came home instead of working on those papers. Her eyes gazed at his face, memorizing every aspect of him. She loved this man so much. She loved everything about him. And being his wife, being able to be the person who stood beside him while he lived his dream made her more than happy.

Naturally, her eyes fell on his lips. She had only kissed him once and she remembered clearly how it took every ounce of courage in her body to be able to do that. She also remembered how ravenously he had kissed her the next day. She felt herself blushing once again at that memory and she lightly cleared her throat.

"...Naruto...?" She called his name quietly. No answer.

Wow, was he asleep already?

Hinata blinked and then placed her hand on his chest, shaking him a little. He didn't respond. She sensed how calm his chakra was and saw how he was breathing in and out slowly. She almost laughed at how fast he fell asleep.

Her gaze fell upon his lips again. She has never known the feeling of desire for a man before. Her love for him was pure and all she wanted was to be by him. But ever since that first kiss he gave her, she anticipated his every touch and her heart pounded at the smallest gesture of affection that he gave her. Maybe it was because she's never been so intimate with a man before, so all this was very different for her. From the beginning, she was drawn to his personality and to be honest, she never paid much attention to his looks.

But now when she looked at him, she realized how attractive he was. His blonde hair and blue eyes were the perfect compliment to each other. His body was well built from the obvious years of training and fighting. His voice, noticeably deeper now, sent chills down her spine both whenever he spoke gently to her and when he spoke with authority to the rest of the village. His smile was a definite bonus.

She suddenly had the urge to lean up and kiss him. But...would that be taking advantage of him, since he wasn't going to be aware of it? She then reminded herself that this was her husband...and that it was ok to kiss him if she felt like it. It was a natural thing for married couples to do.

She finally gave in to her desires and she leaned up closer to his face. Her hand moved away from his chest and instead came up to gently cup the side of his cheek. Her eyes fluttered closed as she gave him a gentle kiss.

She let her lips linger on his for a moment longer, savoring the warmth of his skin against hers, before she began to pull back again.

But then her eyes shot open when she felt his grip around her waist tighten, not allowing her to break away from him. Her heart fluttered when she felt him move his lips against hers, kissing her deeper.

Was he actually awake this whole time?!

He finally pulled away from her. She saw his eyes open and then he grinned at her. "Hehe, tricked you."

Hinata blushed. She glared at him and lightly hit the side of his shoulder. "Y...You're mean!"

Naruto chuckled at her embarrassed expression. It was the first time that he messed with her...her timid reaction was quite cute. He didn't think she would actually kiss him, though. That part was amusing.

Hinata pouted and she couldn't bring herself to look at him. She was really embarrassed right now. What would he think of her now? That she was some kind of weird woman who would kiss him while he slept? 'Gosh...why did I do that...?'

She tried to push away from him to get up, but he kept his hold on her.

"Hinata."

Damn it, the way he called her name gave her butterflies. She stopped struggling against him, but she still couldn't find the courage to meet his eyes.

Naruto smiled at his beautiful wife and he moved his face closer to hers, leaning his forehead on hers. He came to the conclusion that although he still couldn't say that he loves her yet, he can absolutely admit that he adored her very much. He never thought he would grow so fond of her and he never thought he'd be so intimate with her like this. Just 6 months ago, they were both very hesitant and doubtful of their marriage, but at this point...he really couldn't imagine anyone else that he'd rather spend his life with.

In the beginning, if he had a choice to choose between Sakura and Hinata, he would choose Sakura in a heartbeat.

But now?

Now, he wasn't so sure. Now, all he could think about was Hinata. His mind was clouded with her captivating pearl eyes, her kind voice, and her warm smile. Everything about her was just so perfect. He was sure now that not even Sakura could compare to her. He wanted to keep Hinata by his side...he wanted to be together with her and he wanted her to belong to him, and only him.

"...Hinata..." He said her name again, but quieter this time. "...don't ever leave me, ok?"

Hinata's heart raced even faster than it already was. She shut her eyes when he closed the gap between them, capturing her lips with his own once more. She gasped softly when he pulled her even closer so that her body molded perfectly against his, and then he dipped lower and placed a gentle kiss on her neck.

He didn't go any further though, because he knew they both weren't ready for anything like that yet. Though he very much desired her, he respected her. And he wasn't going to consummate their marriage when he wasn't even sure of his feelings yet. He wanted to give himself fully and entirely to her when the right time came.

Hinata was dazed and a little lightheaded from his actions. She realized that he's been kissing her a lot lately...and right now was probably the most intimate that they've ever been with each other. She nearly shrieked when he suddenly got up and picked her up bridal-style and carried her to their bedroom.

She stayed quiet as he laid her down on their bed and gave her yet another heart-warming kiss.

Naruto then laid down next to her and embraced her in his arms, pulling the covers up to cover them.

"Goodnight, Hinata." He muttered softly.

Hinata couldn't even find the words to describe how she was feeling. The way that he acting right now made her heart ache. She knew for a fact that he was opening his heart to her, but the way he kissed her so lovingly, the way he stared at her so longingly, and the way he spoke to her so gently made it seem so much more than that.

Was he already in love with her?

* * *

**Review :)**


	9. Together, We Are a Team

**Together, We Are a Team**

* * *

Hinata wiped away the sweat on her forehead and shifted back into a fighting stance. She then charged at Tenten and just as Tenten was about to block her hit, Hinata ducked down and kicked Tenten's feet off the floor.

Tenten winced as she hit the ground and quickly rolled to the side before Hinata could strike her with her palm.

Hinata didn't give her any time to recover and as soon as Tenten got back up, she attempted to strike again.

Tenten's eyes widened and she gasped when Hinata managed to hit her shoulder, causing her to stumble back. She held out her hand in defeat. "You win, Lady Hinata."

Hinata simply smirked and then she smiled brightly at the children who were gazing back in awe at her.

"Taijutsu is super important for a ninja. It enables you to have close hand-to-hand battles and improves your physical strength, as you guys saw demonstrated by Lady Hinata. Let's give her a round of applause!" Tenten clapped along with the children. "Alright, let's go inside and review before you guys go home!"

"They're so precious. I can't wait to see them lead us in the future." Hinata sighed contently and fixed her robe. "I'm sorry if I hit you a little too hard."

"No worries! And yes, we never know what they're truly capable of. It's always a pleasure to be able to teach the next generation of shinobi. Thanks for coming by, Lady Hinata...your skills have improved. I was a little surprised at how fast your reflexes were." Tenten replied as she tightened her weapon pouch round her waist "Neji would have been proud to see how great you've become."

Hinata's eyes saddened at the mention of her dead cousin. She knew he and Tenten had yet to establish an official relationship, but she saw the way they looked at each other. It was truly a tragedy that they didn't get to be together.

"He'd be proud of you, too, Tenten."

"...thanks." Tenten gave her a genuine smile. "I'll take it from here, since I know you're busy. Thanks for coming again." She made a small bow to Hinata.

"Just let me know anytime you need me again, ok?" Hinata smiled back at her and waved goodbye as Tenten went inside the academy along with the children.

She wiped some dirt away from the bottom of her robe and then proceeded to walk out of the academy. To be honest, she truly did enjoy teaching kids like this. It felt good to see how their eyes lit up in hope and in awe whenever she had the chance to show them anything.

Her eyes looked up at the sky and she guessed it was probably a little past noon right now...which meant she should be heading back to the Konoha headquarters right now to check up on the trading stocks. She also remembered that she had to send out people to restore medical supplies at the hospital.

"...I wonder what Naruto's doing..." Hinata sighed. Sometimes she wished they could have the same duties so that they could see each other more often. She really did miss him more each day, especially since they've gotten so much closer as husband and wife now.

She wondered if he was in love with her yet, considering everything he's been doing lately. Though she desperately wanted him to feel the same way and love her like she loved him, she knew she had to be patient. She wouldn't rush him or force him to come to a conclusion about his feelings yet because honestly...she was scared. She feared that even if he did come to love her, he would still have a place in his heart for Sakura. She feared that she would never be able to compare to what Sakura meant to him. How much she loved Naruto, that was probably how much Naruto loved Sakura.

She was quickly torn out of her thoughts when she felt a chakra coming up fast behind her.

"Lady Hinata, the Hokage has requested your presence at the the headquarters."

Hinata nearly jumped at the sudden voice behind her and she turned to see Shino. Her eyes immediately lit up. "Shino! My goodness, I haven't seen you like 3 months!"

"The Hokage sent me on a mission and I just recently returned. I hope you have been well." Shino made a small bow to her.

"Yes, I've been ok. It's just been a bit busy lately because the Chunin Exams just ended." Hinata let out a small sigh. "...oh! What were you saying earlier?"

"Ah, the Hokage wanted you in his office."

"Now?"

"Yes, immediately."

Hinata blinked curiously. He's never once requested her presence before. Was it something urgent?

"Ok, let's go, then."

* * *

Naruto was standing in his office, looking out at the village.

He felt a little worried about this upcoming mission...partly because he was going to send Hinata on it. He couldn't find anyone else with the abilities he wanted, so she was the best option. Yes, she was his wife, and yes, she was the head Lady of the village, but more than that, she was still a kunoichi.

"Hokage? You called me?"

Naruto turned around to see Kiba. This was another reason why he was worried. He was sending out his wife with her two former teammates...and he knew they were just close friends, but it still bothered him to see her with any other man.

He's been wondering why he felt like this, though. The only jealousy he's ever known was whenever he saw Sakura and Sasuke together, but with Hinata...he just felt so much more irritated and annoyed whenever she was with another man. He seriously wanted to pummel down whoever even looked at her with any sense of desire in their eyes.

But, he quickly put aside his emotions and focused on the mission at task. He knew they worked well as a team. Since the Fourth Great Ninja War, he also knew they have yet to spend time together as a team since he and Hinata got married shortly after. Their chemistry and their skill as a team was what he needed the most for this mission. He shouldn't be allowing his own personal feelings to get in the way of crucial matters like this.

"Yes. I have an A-Rank mission for Team 8." Naruto nodded.

"Team 8? Then that means Shino and Lady Hinata-," Kiba was cut off when the door opened to reveal none other than Hinata and Shino.

She walked in and blinked curiously when she saw Kiba. "Kiba...?" She glanced at Naruto, wondering why her team was called.

"Alright, since Team 8 is here, I'll explain the details of this mission."

Hinata's eyes widened. A mission? "Team 8...then, Kurenai Sensei, too?"

Naruto shook his head. "No, I decided to leave her out because the ninja academy is promoting the young ninjas to Genin level, soon. Kurenai's daughter will be promoted along with the class."

Hinata simply nodded. Though she was still a little surprised that he would send his own wife on a mission, she knew that she was a kunoichi before she was anything else. She would gladly honor the ninja way, whether she was married or not. And considering the fact that Naruto was sending her out on a mission proved that he too, knew the importance of her being a shinobi.

"You guys have great team chemistry...and that's crucial to this mission." Naruto picked up three scrolls from his desk and threw it to each one of them. "These scrolls contain confidential information pertaining to the main five Hidden villages. I repeat, it is _confidential_ information. Do not open them, do not peek, do not even have the slightest hint of curiosity. Do I make myself clear?"

The three of them were a bit taken back by his seriousness and just nodded without hesitation.

"Good. Now again, this is an A-rank mission. It is a state-level matter. I need you three to deliver these three scrolls to Kumogakure in the Land of Lightning. Make sure it gets to the Raikage. The reason why this mission is dangerous, is because there has been recent attacks in the mountain regions leading up the village. From what I've heard, these ninjas are not typical...they're rebels."

Hinata narrowed her eyes. "Rebels?" She didn't get it. How can there be rebels? The Fourth Great Ninja War just ended. The Five Great Shinobi Nations were an allied force now. There shouldn't be any logical reasoning why there would be ninjas rebelling...unless they _apposed_ the alliance of the shinobi nations.

"Yes. Rebel ninjas. I'm pretty sure the Raikage will send in security forces to make sure they aren't a problem anymore, but until that happens, there will more attacks. Just beware of your surroundings. Kiba, you have Akamaru, so I know you two will have keen senses when it comes to checking the perimeter. Shino, your bugs will be a huge help if you guys end up going in battle. Hinata, your Byakugan is pretty self explanatory. If I don't hear you guys report back in a week, I will send reinforcements."

"When do we leave?"

Naruto let out a small sigh and stayed quiet for a few moments before he replied. "Immediately."

They didn't say anything further and just bowed to Naruto before they turned to go.

"...wait, Hinata. Stay for a minute." Naruto glanced at Kiba and Shino. They both understood and left first, closing the door behind them.

"Sorry that I have to send you." Naruto apologized and walked over to her.

"Why are you apologizing? I understand my duty." Hinata reassured him. "We'll be apart for a whole week, though. I won't be too fond of that."

Naruto laughed softly. "Yea...I know. Just be careful, ok?"

"Mm. I'll take my leave, then." Hinata took a step back. "We'll be sure to report back. Failure won't be an option for us."

"Ah." Naruto quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her back before she turned to go. Hinata was taken by surprise when he lifted up her chin and kissed her lightly on the lips. "You can't leave for a whole week without giving me _that_."

Hinata blushed at his statement and then she let out a small laugh. "...I'll take my leave now Naruto." She said once again.

This time, Naruto let her go and he watched as she departed from him and closed the door. Man...a whole week of not seeing her was going to be torture for him.

* * *

After packing a few things, they all met up at the gate.

"Did something good happen?" Kiba immediately teased her when he noticed her dazed expression.

Hinata blushed and she slightly glared at him. "No, nothing happened." She hated how they saw right through her. She could never keep secrets from them.

Kiba just smirked at her response and shrugged. "Alrighty, whatever you say."

Hinata pouted and she turned away from him, tightening her bag over her shoulders. She couldn't help it. Just thinking about how Naruto's been lately made her heart race. She never imagined him to be so intimate with her like this. It was a bit overwhelming. "Anyways...you guys ready?"

Kiba and Shino both nodded at her.

"Sorry, Shino. You just came back from another mission and now you're doing one right after."

"I have nothing better to do." Shino just shrugged.

"Keh. At least you get two missions in a row. This is the most exciting thing I've done since the war was over!" Kiba crossed his arms and jumped onto Akamaru.

Hinata took out a small map from her bag and examined it. "It'll take us about three days to get there and three days to get back. So it's six days in total for this whole mission. We'll take a short rest once we reach Shimogakure, near the Land of Lightning's border."

"Sounds good. Let's get going then. We'll have to be there by the time the sun sets." Kiba patted Akamaru to indicate him to start running. "Hope you two can keep up with Akamaru!"

"That won't be a problem," Shino muttered as he also dashed ahead.

Hinata followed closely along, tagging right alongside Akamaru. "Don't worry about me. My speed has increased, also."

Kiba smirked at his two teammates. "Feels kinda good to be with you two again!"

Hinata let out a small laugh and Shino simply pushed his glasses up in agreement.

"Oi, Hinata-ah...I mean, Lady Hinata," Kiba quickly corrected himself. "So when are we gonna see miniatures of you and the Hokage?"

Hinata's eyes widened and she felt herself turning red. "W...what?" Wow, she hasn't stuttered in nearly 2 years. What the heck was with that question coming out of nowhere?!

Kiba laughed at her expression and Shino smirked. "Well, I mean, you two _are_ going to have children, right?"

"O...of course! But it's not even a year since we've gotten married! We haven't even discussed about having a family...we're too busy with our duties enough as it is." Hinata quickly defended. To be honest, she did think about having a family, but she and Naruto haven't even done _that_ yet. It'll probably be a while before she even conceives a child. And they just started getting comfortable with being affectionate towards each other, so Hinata knew they both needed time before they even discussed the topic of having a family.

"You two could be busy with your duties_ together_, if you know what I mean-,"

"Kiba!" Hinata was sure that she looked like a tomato right now. How dare he say such...such _dirty_ and _vulgar_ things!

Kiba couldn't stop laughing at her reactions. Akamaru barked along, indicating that he found it funny, too, and even Shino looked like he was amused by all this.

Hinata could only glare at them and stayed speechless. Gosh, no matter what position she held in Konoha, she was sure that they were going to find some way to tease her.

"Just kidding! We're just excited. It'd actually be cool to see you and Naruto have kids soon, though." Kiba wiped away the tears that formed at the corner of his eyes from laughing so hard.

"On a more serious note, who is going to lead this mission?" Shino quickly changed the subject, knowing that Hinata was getting slightly uncomfortable with the topic.

"I will." Hinata said immediately without hesitation, much to Kiba and Shino's surprise. "I believe I am ready to take control of a top-rank mission. Since I am also the Head Lady of Konoha now, let me prove to you guys that I am capable of being a leader."

They both didn't say anything more and instead, just stared at her proudly. They knew she always had a heart of determination and perseverance, but seeing that she took actions to become someone strong and confident enough to lead an A-rank mission was something new.

"You don't have to prove anything to us, Lady Hinata. We will gladly follow your lead for this mission."

* * *

"...kage...Hokage...**Hokage**!"

Naruto snapped out of his daze and turned his attention back to Shikamaru, who looked annoyed as hell. "Sorry, what did you say?"

"Geez..." Shikamaru let out a sigh and crossed his arms. "...we're supposed to head down to check the security forces today. The Raikage sent notice for us to prepare in case the rebel ninjas move out towards Konoha."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "...they're coming towards Konoha?"

"Possibly. Within 3 days, the Raikage will send out some ninjas to stop the attacks in the mountains, but he can't guarantee that he can stop all of them. Frankly, he doesn't know how many of them there are...and if he can't get rid of all of them, he's guessing their next target will be here."

'Hinata.' That was the first thing that came to Naruto's mind. If Kumogakure's ninjas can't stop all of the rebels and the rebels did head towards Konoha...it would mean that Team 8 would be directly in the middle. They would be heading straight towards the rebels.

"_**Shit**_." Naruto stood up and Shikamaru quickly followed him as he dashed out of his office and headed out to the Konoha Security headquarters.

"Notify Lee to gather up and lead Sasuke, Sakura, Sai, and Ino in a mission right now."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Right now?"

"Yes, right now!" Naruto hissed. "I sent Hinata, Kiba and Shino to Kumogakure to deliver three secret scrolls. I _cannot_ risk the information in those scrolls to be revealed, especially to rebel ninjas. And I don't know if Team 8 will be outnumbered, so notify Lee to gather those people as a reinforcement team right now!"

"Got it. I'll meet you at the security headquarters as soon as I'm done." Shikamaru nodded and then quickly went on his own way.

Naruto's hands clenched into fists. He knew something was wrong...he's been having that weird feeling lately.

Like something bad was going to happen.

* * *

Within a matter of a few a minutes, Sasuke, Sakura, Sai and Ino were dashing alongside Lee and Shikamaru.

"Rebel ninjas?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"Yes. There's a possibility that they might head towards Konoha and Team 8 is on their way to deliver important information so they'll be at risk. The Hokage wants you guys to head out now because they might be in danger."

"Team 8...then that means Kiba and Shino, and Lady Hinata!" Sakura's eyes widened.

"Exactly. Remember that you guys are just reinforcements and the mission is to get the scrolls to the Raikage at all cost. Lee, I trust that you will know what to do if you guys happen to meet the rebels."

Lee nodded and pumped his fist into air. "I'll be sure to protect both my comrades and get the scrolls safely to the Raikage!"

"Good. This mission is effective immediately. Move out."

* * *

**Review!**


	10. Together, We Protect

**Together, We Protect**

_*I apologize for not getting back to those of you who messaged me about this story. I've been super busy lately with school lately, so I haven't had the time to check my messages until recently. _

_To make it up to all you guys for the super, super long wait, I promise to post up the next chapter ASAP!_

* * *

"Byakugan!"

Hinata's eyes observed the surroundings. It's been two days long into their travel and they were nearing the mountain region leading up to Kumogakure. Hinata could faintly sense the chakra of others around her, but for some reason, she couldn't see anyone.

"Nothing?" Shino asked quietly.

Hinata shook her head. "...even though I see nothing around us right now, I still have that feeling that we're being watched."

"Same here. I'm picking up a few strange scents." Kiba lifted his head up, sniffing the air. "It's weird, though. I can't really distinguish what it is."

"Let's just continue. We need to complete this mission efficiently and as quick as we can. We have no time to investigate around, no matter how suspicious everything is right now." Hinata replied. With a wave of her hand indicating that they follow her, she dashed ahead through the forest.

* * *

Since the mission started, Sakura couldn't shake off that bad feeling. "Do you think Lady Hinata and Team 8 are in danger?" She turned to look at Sasuke, who narrowed his eyes.

"...I don't know. Something doesn't feel right."

"Right? We need to catch up to them as fast as we can. We can't risk those scrolls falling into the rebels' hands and we most definitely can't let anything happen to Team 8." Sakura let out a sigh and ran faster.

"Oi! Do you guys sense that?!" Lee suddenly exclaimed.

"Chakra presence?" Sai looked side to side to see if anyone was hiding in the trees. "...there might be ninjas in hiding around here. Should we split?"

"What? No way! We need to stick together and get to Team 8! We have no time to look around for anything or anyone!" Ino quickly protested. Sai glared slightly at his wife. "Geez, it was just a suggestion. No need to yell."

"Whatever." Ino simply rolled her eyes at him.

"We can split up after we find them. I'm pretty sure they've all felt the chakra presences by now." Sasuke replied as he activated his Sharingan. "...they're not far from us. They're just a couple miles ahead."

"Can you see them?" Sakura asked eagerly.

"Just faintly. I can make out their body forms but even with my Sharingan, I can only see so far."

"That's more than enough...that means we're getting closer to them!"

"...yes...but..." Sasuke paused and he squinted his eyes. "...I can also see something around them...

Lee glanced back at him. "They're not doing anything about it!?"

"I don't think they notice. We need to hurry up and catch up with them."

* * *

Naruto couldn't concentrate on anything.

He's been going in and out of the security headquarters, making sure preparations were ready just in case of a village attack. He also sent out various ninjas to patrol the borders and gates of Konoha to make sure there were no suspicious activities on the outside. He made sure to keep his actions secretive because he didn't want to worry the villagers or make them frantic about anything.

He's been constantly thinking about his friends that he sent on the mission. On top of that, he was also worried about Hinata's well being.

He hoped the reinforcement team will reach Team 8 before they meet the rebels. It wasn't that he doubted Team 8's abilities as shinobi, but he was just worried because he didn't know what the rebel ninjas were capable of.

"Hokage, you've been pacing back and forth for a good 30 minutes now. You should just calm down...I'm pretty sure they'll be fine." Shikamaru insisted.

"But don't you _feel_ that?" Naruto glared back at him.

"Feel what...?"

"I don't know what exactly it is, but I've been having this bad feeling ever since I sent them!" Naruto let out a frustrated sigh.

"They're strong and capable to handle whatever will come at them. You should have a little faith in them, too."

"I do! It's just...I don't want anything to happen to them..." Naruto ran his fingers through his hair and he finally came to sit down at his desk. "...I don't want anything to happen...to Hinata..."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. He was a bit surprised at that statement. He had expected Naruto to worry more about sending Sakura rather than Hinata. Though Hinata was Naruto's wife, he knew Naruto's love for Sakura was still evident.

"You know very well that a shinobi faces death every day. You should always be prepared, Hokage. Even if we happen to lose anyone out there, it would be for the cause of this village."

Naruto clenched his hands into fists. He knew that. He knew that very well. But the thought of his friends and Hinata getting hurt in any way just devastated him. And if he did lose Hinata, he just didn't know how he would cope with that.

* * *

For some reason, Team 8 suddenly found it harder to breathe. Even more than that, they felt _exhausted._

Kiba jumped off Akamaru to dash alongside Hinata and Shino. "Akamaru is slowing down and you guys are, too. I haven't even been running but I feel tired...this is really irritating me!"

Hinata was panting slightly and even though the weather was cool right now, she was sweating. She glanced at Shino and could see the side of his head glistening with sweat, too.

"Do you think the rebels are doing something to us? I do feel a little weak right now." Shino muttered.

She once again scanned the area with her Byakugan but she couldn't see anything that seemed out of place. "Well, we are in the mountains now, so they could be anywhere. Be on the lookout."

"Shit, but I can't even run that fast anymore." Kiba hissed and he noticed that Hinata and Shino were both running at a rather slow pace, too.

Somehow, Hinata could literally feel her chakra being drained. 'What is this...?' She narrowed her eyes.

"Lady Hinata, do you feel that, too?" Shino asked when he noticed her expression.

"...I think...they might be absorbing our chakra while they're hiding."

"What?" Kiba's eyes widened.

"That would explain our bodies weakening. It could also be why we're sensing such an enormous amount of chakra around us...it's because they're absorbing it from us-,"

"Oi! You guys!"

All three of them turned and was surprised to find Lee along with the others coming towards them.

"We finally caught up!" Sakura let out a relieved sigh.

"What are you guys all doing here?" Hinata blinked. Was there a problem at the village?

"The Hokage sent us as a reinforcement team." Sakura explained. "We were told that the rebels could be headed towards Konoha, so you guys could possibly be in danger."

"Why would they go to Konoha?"

"They didn't give us the details, but that's just what we know so far." Ino shrugged.

"Do you guys feel that?" Kiba butted in. It was still irritating him that he felt weaker and weaker by the minute.

"...ah. We've been noticing something weird lately. I think our chakra is being absorbed by whatever is surrounding us." Sasuke replied. "Lady Hinata, can you focus a little more in detail with your Byakugan? It might be something that we can't see just by scanning around."

Hinata nodded. Though her chakra level was very low at this rate, she activated her Byakugan once again and gazed intensely around the area. She squinted when something caught her eye. "I see something!"

"What is it?"

"...strings. Very thin ones." Hinata then looked down at herself and she gasped softly when she realized that the strings were tied around her arms and legs. She looked at everyone and much to her horror, there were strings tied around them also. How was it that she couldn't even_ feel_ it?

"There are strings tied around you guys. I have them as well." She immediately stopped running and everyone just stared at her like she was crazy.

"What are you talking about?" Kiba patted himself down and glanced over at Akamaru. "I don't see any strings. And if we were tied with them, wouldn't we feel it?"

"That's why it's so strange. I can't feel it either, but I can clearly see them now." Hinata narrowed her eyes as she traced the strings to where they were coming from. "...I think these are chakra strings. It's not something physical, so that's why we can't see them or feel them tied on us...but we can definitely feel the draining effects of it. Shino, can you have your bugs follow the strings?"

Shino nodded as he reached out his hands. Everyone watched as his bugs traveled from his sleeves out and much to their surprise, ventured out towards them. Ino and Sakura cringed when the bugs formed around their ankles and wrists. The bugs then continued on, forming a line towards the direction of Kumogakure.

"Wherever my bugs are touching, that's where the chakra strings are. Lady Hinata, as you said, the strings are tied around us, since my bugs are around our ankles and wrists...as long as we follow the trail that my bugs set out, I'm sure we'll find the source of it."

Hinata nodded and then she reached out her hands to Shino and Kiba. "Give me your scrolls." They both pulled out their scrolls and gave it to her. She then pulled out her own scroll and then turned to Sasuke and Lee. "I need you guys to lead us ahead to Kumogakure, since you two are probably the fastest out of us all. When we get to the rebels, you two need to pass through ahead and get these scrolls to the Raikage. The rest of us will stay behind to counterattack."

Sasuke and Lee took the scrolls from her and simply nodded in agreement.

"Our chakra is getting lower by the minute and I know we'll all get exhausted once we enter the higher mountain regions, but we can't complain. Let's head out...the faster we find the source of these chakra strings, the faster we can find the rebels."

They didn't waste any time and immediately dashed ahead, despite their weakened states.

Hinata wondered if Naruto was doing ok. She guessed that by now, he was probably already preparing for a village attack and was preparing the security forces to defend the borders. She hoped that she and the rest of the team could stop the rebels now so that the rebels won't have any chance of going towards Konoha.

'I need to protect my village at all costs. I will stop _whoever_ threatens the welfare of Konoha.' She thought and glared ahead with determination. No matter how many rebels there were, she knew that her team was strong enough to handle it. After all, they did win the war...nothing at this point could stop the Shinobi Nations. And even if they were outnumbered or out-skilled, she knew that if she sent for help, there will definitely be other ninjas who would come to their aid in a blink of an eye.

* * *

By now, they were extremely tired.

They were also now in the high mountain regions, so the thin air and the high altitude wasn't helping at all.

"This is where the attacks have been occurring. Be on your guard." Hinata warned the others. It was a little foggy so the rebels were at advantage if they were planning a sabotage.

Kiba sniffed up in the air when Akamaru started to bark. "We're nearing them...I can pick up the scents a lot stronger now. There's definitely some ninjas hiding around here."

"Stop." Sasuke immediately stopped running and he held out his hand, indicating that they stayed still.

"...what is it?" Sakura asked quietly as she gazed around.

Then all of a sudden, Shino's bugs dropped to the ground and they all scattered back into Shino's sleeve instead of following the chakra strings. Shino frowned as he pushed up his glasses. "They're here."

They all shifted into defense stances as soon as Shino said that. Sure enough, Hinata could finally now make out the forms of people slowly coming out from behind the rock walls and boulders. She glanced up and realized that some were standing on top of higher mountain hills, too.

"How interesting. You guys noticed us, first."

A female voice.

Out from the fog in front of them emerged a woman along with a few ninjas behind her.

Hinata noticed that they all had a slash across their headbands, symbolizing that they were either against their village or were no longer shinobi who belonged to a certain land. On top of that, she was a little worried. The immense amount of chakra that these ninjas had scared her...it was probably because they were absorbing hers and the rest of team's chakra earlier. It was no doubt that right now, the rebel ninjas were a lot stronger than them.

Wasting no time, she threw a glance over at Sasuke and Lee, who both quickly understood her.

In a blink of an eye, Sasuke and Lee dashed ahead, and though some rebels reacted quickly to their movement, they simply got past them by giving the rebels a few hits to keep them down.

"Tch. Quick, huh." The woman smirked. "The rest of you guys wont be let off so easily...and I see that you are from Konoha. This'll be much more fun...the Hokage will surely be enraged when he finds out that you guys won't be returning back."

Hinata and the others formed a circle, back to back, when more and more ninjas started coming out of the fog and from their hiding areas.

"We'll take down each and every one of you!" Hinata glared right at the woman.

The woman simply smiled and Hinata noticed the sinister glint of her eyes.

"Try."

With that statement, the surrounding rebels charged forth at full speed towards the group.

Sakura still had some strength left in her, so she punched the ground, sending some rebels to fly off different directions.

"Split up! Don't use your chakra unless necessary!" Hinata exclaimed as she jumped up from the ground right when two kunais were about to strike her. The team dashed in different directions, each of them fighting a handful of rebels by themselves.

Hinata knew they needed some time to build their chakra back up, so right now, all they could do was use taijutsu. Though she was physically exhausted as well, her reflexes were still quick so she didn't fail to dodge every hit and even managed to strike a few rebels.

She quickly shifted her body away when she felt a chakra presence coming fast at her from the side.

"Wow, you're quick, too, huh?" The woman chuckled and then didn't waste any time as she attempted to attack Hinata once more. "You have the Byakugan..I assume you're Lady Hinata?"

Hinata quickly blocked her hit and then spun down to try to knock the woman off her feet, but the woman quickly jumped up to avoid it. "You won't get any further than this!"

The woman only chuckled once again. "You all are weak right now. We've successfully drained most of your chakra so there's on point in all this. Fighting us with useless kicks and punches won't do any good. Save your boring speeches about stopping us-,"

Hinata quickly cut her off by charging at full speed towards her while she was still talking and managed to strike her left shoulder. The woman winced and stumbled back two steps before she glared up hatefully at Hinata.

"You talk too much." Hinata muttered. She didn't give the woman any time to recover and once again dashed towards her, getting ready to attack her again. At the same time, she kept aware of her surroundings to make sure the others were still ok.

Though taijutsu wasn't his specialty, Sai was managing alright.

Kiba and Akamaru fought closely next to him and helped watch his back since he couldn't use his chakra to control his drawings yet.

Sakura was angrily punching and kicking the enemies with whatever strength she had left in her.

Shino was successfully dodging every hit to avoid getting physically weaker.

Ino was also dodging attacks, and managed to strike down a few rebels.

Hinata could luckily feel their chakra levels rising up again, though it was happening very slowly. 'A little longer and we can use our chakra...' She thought as she ducked down to avoid the kunai thrown at her. She quickly took out one of her own kunai from her weapon pouch and shot it at full speed at the woman. Much to Hinata's surprise, the woman managed to disappear before the kunai reached her and then Hinata gasped when the woman suddenly appeared in front of her.

Hinata knew that even if she made a move to dodge at this instant, the woman was already close enough to strike her. Hinata closed her eyes and quickly braced herself for a hit, but instead heard the woman grunt. Hinata's eyes shot open in an instant to see Sakura in front of her.

Sakura, who was panting heavily, got a hold of the woman's wrist and twisted her arm away from Hinata.

"Lady Hinata! Are you ok?" Sakura glanced back worriedly at Hinata. Once the woman saw that Sakura's guard was down, she quickly whispered a jutsu and her free arm came up behind Sakura and she hit the pressure points in Sakura's neck.

"Sakura!" Hinata's eyes widened when Sakura stood frozen and much to her horror, she saw the woman pull out a small syringe. 'Oh no!' Hinata immediately dashed towards the woman and reached out to grab her hand, but the woman shifted away and forcefully stabbed the syringe into Sakura's abdomen.

Hinata felt her heart drop when Sakura gasped in pain and fell down to the ground. "Sakura!" She bent down and despite her still-low chakra level, she immediately started to heal her.

"I injected poison in her. It'll spread fast, and due to your low chakra, you probably won't be able to save her healing her like that." The woman smirked and twirled a kunai with her fingers. "This poison will no doubt kill her within three days. You'd have to heal her continuously for 2 days straight to fully heal her...you might as well just let her die now to save her from the pain."

Hinata glared at her in vengeance. "I won't forgive you for hurting my people!"

"Don't care." The woman shrugged and she gripped the twirling kunai in her hands and ran towards Hinata. "You can join her!"

_"Don't you dare touch them!"_

Hinata heard Kiba's voice and saw Kiba and Akamaru rushing to her aid. Behind them, the others followed, dashing vigorously towards her.

Ino shot a kunai to counterattack and it knocked the kunai away from the woman's hand.

"Shit..." The woman was too preoccupied with Hinata that she didn't even realize that most of her rebels were defeated. She saw her fallen ninjas a few feet behind the Konoha team that was dashing towards her.

She jumped away right when Kiba reached her and stood at a distance from them. The remaining rebels gathered behind her and the team noticed that there were still noticeably a huge number of them left.

'Damnit...our chakra still isn't fully restored yet...' Kiba clenched his hands into fists. He knew that if they all weren't so weak right now, they could no doubt wipe out the rebels in just a matter of a few minutes.

Ino knelt alongside Hinata and was about to help heal Sakura, too, but Hinata quickly stopped her. "I can manage. I don't want you losing anymore chakra. You guys still need to fight against them."

Ino stared down worriedly at Sakura and then back to Hinata. "But...more than half of your chakra will be gone if you keep healing her like this by yourself. Lady Hinata, we can't risk your health either-,"

"Do not argue with me." Hinata replied sternly, surprising Ino. "There are still many of them left. Until Sasuke and Lee gets back, you guys need to fight them off. I have enough chakra left to heal her, so don't worry about me. We cannot risk these rebels entering into Konoha...you all must stop them right here and right now."

Ino still hesitated a bit, but she let out a small sigh and then made a small bow. "...I understand." She then got up and took one more look at Sakura before joining the others again.

"Ah, geez...Sasuke and Lee need to hurry up." Sai sighed and pulled out his drawing scrolls. "...I think my chakra's just about done refueling. I'll attack from above."

"Are you sure?" Ino asked with uncertainty. Sai simply nodded at her and then quickly drew a bird to fly on. He jumped on the bird and then flew up above, calculating an attack plan on the rebels below.

"At this rate, we might as well go all out." Shino replied quietly as he reached out his hands and let his bugs travel out once more.

"Yes! I feel the adrenaline kicking in again! We need to fight head on this time, guys!" Kiba jumped onto Akamaru's back. "Ready, boy?" Akamaru barked in reply and then boldly ran ahead towards the rebels. Shino and Ino ran alongside them and dashed towards the rebel ninjas, who stood unfazed.

"Tch, don't get all cocky just because you guys managed to take down a few of us!" The woman waved her hand forwards and then ran ahead with the mass group of rebels following behind her.

Hinata sighed in relief, glad that their chakra level was now high enough for them to fight to their full potential. She focused her attention back to Sakura and her Byakugan examined Sakura's body. The poison was steadily spreading from her abdomen up to her left arm. Hinata could see Sakura's veins turning purple and a pit of fear hit the bottom of her stomach. The poison was too strong...the pace of her healing couldn't even catch up to how fast the poison was spreading.

Hinata concentrated her remaining chakra into her hands and focused on performing two highly skilled healing jutsu. Though these two jutsu will take its toll on her own body, she didn't care. She just couldn't let Sakura suffer like this.

"Sakura...I'm going to perform both the Osenjokyo justu (decontamination technique) and the Kakusei jutsu (purification technique)...I don't now if it'll get rid of the poison, but I'm going to try to slow down the spreading of it long enough until we can get back to Konoha."

Sakura, who was breathing heavily in pain, looked at Hinata like she was crazy. "Y...you can't...do that..." She paused and winced when a sudden pain coursed through her body. "...if you're not careful...you can risk-,"

"I know the risks, Sakura, but I cannot allow you to be in this state. As the head lady of Konoha, it is my duty to protect my people. You are my precious friend...and I will do whatever it takes to heal you." Hinata replied determinedly. The Osenjokyo jutsu will allow her to rapidly create new white blood cells in the Sakura's blood stream to fight off the poison. The Kakusei jutsu will allow her to create even more white blood cells but also powers them up by feeding her own chakra directly into them. After the healing process, her own body might shut down and be in a coma-like state for days because of the loss of chakra and physical and mental exhaustion, but she had no choice at the moment but to result to this decision.

Still keeping her concentration on the affected area, Hinata closed her eyes and performed the hand sands of the first jutsu. She could feel her chakra coursing through her body system and flowing towards Sakura. She inhaled sharply at the sudden throb in her head, but she quickly ignored it and then performed the hand signs for the second jutsu.

Sakura eventually drifted into unconsciousness as Hinata performed the techniques. Hinata glanced up quickly to see how the others were doing and she felt a wave of relief wash over her when she spotted Lee and Sasuke, who just rushed in to join the fight. She knew that by now, everyone was strong enough to fight to their best abilities.

She focused her attention back to Sakura and continued the healing jutsu. She suddenly found it harder to breathe and coughed up some blood. However, she paid no attention to it and simply concentrated on the matter at hand. Her eyes traveled to Sakura's face and she hoped and prayed that she'll be able to slow down the poison enough for Sakura to make it back to Konoha.

Sakura was one her best friends and she was someone that Hinata looked up to...and more than that, Sakura was the woman that Naruto had loved all his life. Hinata couldn't let someone so precious to both her and Naruto suffer like this.

'No matter what happens to me...I can't let Sakura die.'

* * *

**Review :) I promise the next chapter will be up within two days! **


	11. Together, We Worry

**Together, We Worry**

* * *

Fortunately for the Konoha team, Sasuke and Lee also managed to bring a few Kumogakure ninjas to help out.

As Sasuke slashed through with ease using his katana, his eyes searched for Sakura. He sensed her chakra and when he finally spotted Hinata and Sakura, he narrowed his eyes. What the hell? Why was Hinata healing her?

"Did you guys get the scrolls to the Raikage?" Kiba asked as he took a punch at a rebel.

"Yes! The Kumogakure security forces are here now, so let's get back to Konoha!" Lee insisted as he kicked his way through a group of rebels that were attacking him.

"We've got it from here!" One of the Kumogakure ninjas shouted out. "You guys can retreat back to Konoha and we'll take care of everything! We'll send notice if things get out of hand!"

The Konoha team all nodded and one by one, jumped away from the battle scene.

Sasuke immediately rushed over to Hinata and Sakura, with the others following close behind.

"What happened here?" He bent down and placed his hand on Sakura's forehead.

"She's poisoned."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and Hinata saw a hint of worry flash across his face. "...how bad is it?"

"I'm doing my best to slow down the spreading. We must get back to Konoha as soon as possible." Hinata replied.

"Get on. You can keep concentrated on healing Sakura." Kiba patted on Akamaru, insisting that she and Sakura rest on top of Akamaru's back.

Sasuke slowly picked Sakura up and placed her onto Akamaru's back and then Hinata also hopped on, keeping her chakra focused on Sakura's wound.

"My transportation jutsu should save us some time. I can't transport us back all the way to Konoha, but I'll be able to transport us near the border of the Land of Fire." Sasuke said as he started the hand signs for his jutsu. "Everyone come closer. I can only transport all of us if we're in close proximity."

* * *

Within a few moments, a quick flash of light blinded everyone for a slight second and they all found themselves back in the forest.

"How long until we reach Konoha?" Ino asked eagerly, looking down anxiously at Sakura.

"We should be able to get back to the village by tomorrow night." Sasuke also kept his gaze on Sakura. He reached over and held her hand, squeezing it gently. "We will not camp out. Lady Hinata, I know the jutsu is weaking your body...but please endure it for a while longer. The sooner we get to the village, the sooner we can save her."

Hinata nodded in agreement. "No worries. I can manage."

With that being said, they all dashed ahead towards Konoha. Though Hinata reassured everyone that she was going to be fine, she felt like she would faint at any moment. Using the two healing jutsu at the same time while her chakra was still low was dangerous.

She knew that once they got back to the village, she will barely have enough chakra to sustain her own body temperature. She glanced down at her hands that were hovered above Sakura's abdomen and noticed that her own skin was getting pale and her fingers were trembling. She could literally see the color of her blue chakra channeling through her veins towards Sakura's body.

Hinata clenched her teeth together and closed her eyes tightly. Right now, she knew she was risking her own life...but she had to keep focused on healing Sakura at least until they reached the Konoha gates.

Sasuke kept glancing back every once in a while to see how Sakura was doing. If Hinata was at it for this long, there was no doubt that this poison was very life-threatening.

He hadn't felt this kind of fear in such a long time...if Sakura didn't make it, he knew he'd hate himself for the rest of his life. He couldn't imagine himself being with any other woman. He didn't even ask her to marry him yet. There were too many regrets if she left him now.

He averted his eyes to Hinata, who looked pale and fatigued. He knew he had much to owe her...and then he realized that he could barely sense her chakra anymore. It dawned him that she was literally risking her own life to stop the poison from spreading throughout Sakura's body.

_Shit._

If Hinata kept transferring her own life force to Sakura, she possibly won't make it when they reach Konoha. Sakura on the other hand, would still have a chance to be hospitalized and cured. However, if Hinata stopped now due to exhaustion, then Sakura would have dire consequences because it might be too late.

It was bad either way. It was as if they had to lose one or the other.

Kiba noticed that Sasuke was looking back at Akamaru and his eyes followed to where Sasuke was gazing at. He gasped softly when he saw Hinata's physical state. "Lady Hinata, are you-,"

"Keep going. Do not slow down to worry about me." Hinata quickly cut him off. She couldn't afford to lose any time right now.

The rest of the team glanced back and their hearts dropped when they also saw how pale and drained Hinata looked. She also recently just coughed up some more blood, so there was a trail of blood dripping down her lips.

"Lady Hinata, if you keep-,"

"If I stop, Sakura will _die_. Do you not understand that?" Hinata glared at them.

They all were taken by surprise by her tone of voice. She wasn't someone who spoke so sternly like that.

Sasuke clenched his hands into fists. "Lady Hinata, your life is also at risk." He didn't want Sakura to die, but he also didn't want to risk losing Hinata either. She was Naruto's wife...she was the wife of his best friend. He couldn't allow such a tragedy to befall on Naruto.

Hinata let out a frustrated sigh. "Keep going and do not ask me any further questions or comment about my health. That is an _order_."

No one talked after that.

Though they were worried for Hinata's wellbeing, they also realized the danger if she stopped.

Sasuke finally looked away from Sakura and Hinata. He hoped to God that they both lived. If they lost Sakura, it will devastating for him, and if they lost Hinata, it would be devastating for Naruto...and it didn't look too good for either of them right now.

"The sun is setting...it'll get cold soon." Sai commented.

"We can't stop. If we waste any time, not only Sakura's life, but Hinata's life as well, will be in danger. It's already bad enough as it is." Ino muttered. "I packed blankets...it should be enough to keep them warm."

Ino slowed down so that she came alongside Akamaru and then pulled out two blankets from her side bag. "Here, this will help you guys through the night." She gently wrapped one around Hinata's shoulder and then covered Sakura with the other one.

"Thank you." Hinata made a small smile at Ino before Ino dashed back to the front with Sai.

Hinata wiped away the now slightly dried blood that was dripping down her lips. She knew she had enough chakra to last through one more day, but once they reached Konoha, she was sure that she'll be unconscious. Her eyes averted down to Sakura and she let out a deep breath. As long as she can save Sakura...it'll be worth it.

Hinata knew very well that by tomorrow night...she might not possibly live. Sakura will be healed enough to be taken to the hospital, but as for herself...the situation wasn't getting any better. She felt like crying right now, not because she was afraid of death, but because she was afraid of the guilt that Naruto will feel if she did die.

If she died, and Sakura lived...she knew that Naruto would feel like it was his fault. However, if she lived, and Sakura died...she didn't know if Naruto would ever forgive her; she wouldn't even be able to forgive herself...and plus, there was Sasuke, too. She wanted Sakura to be able to live happily with Sasuke.

There was a slight chance that she can live, but that chance was _very_ slim. By tomorrow night, her chakra will most likely be completely gone...and if her chakra was nonexistent, she will be, too.

* * *

"There's nothing suspicious so far beyond the gates." Shikamaru placed a small file on Naruto's desk. "Other small neighboring villages have given their reports regarding the rebels. No one has seen any strange ninjas or been attacked yet."

"It's been five days...if the rebels aren't here yet, it might mean that Team 8 and the reinforcement team handled the situation well." Naruto felt small weight lifted off his shoulders. "I hope they also delivered the scrolls safely..."

"Should I tell the security headquarters to pull back their shinobi?"

Naruto thought for a few moments and then shook his head. "We can't let our guard down yet. We don't know what will happen within the next few days...let's wait for at least two more days until we pull back our security forces."

"The team should be getting back by tomorrow, right?"

Naruto nodded. "Yes. If they don't arrive by tomorrow night, I'll tell some border guards to check the perimeter outside the village."

"...other than that, Hokage...you should get some rest." Shikamaru could tell that Naruto hasn't gotten much sleep. He knew that Naruto was probably over-stressing himself both by protecting the village and worrying over Hinata and the others.

Naruto grinned reassuringly at him. "I'll be fine. A little loss of sleep won't keep me down. Besides, my mind's too occupied...I can't sleep with everything being so hectic right now."

"It's not good for your health." Shikamaru crossed his arms and sighed. Though he was the Hokage's advisor, Naruto didn't listen to him much.

"Ah, stop worrying so much, Shikamaru." Naruto got up from his seat quickly and then he was caught by surprise when he suddenly felt dizzy and stumbled forward a little.

Shikamaru immediately stepped forward and placed his arm on Naruto's shoulder, holding him steady. "There's a reason why I worry...you just never listen." He frowned at Naruto.

Naruto stabilized himself and stood up straight. "I just got up too quickly. It's not a big deal." He shrugged. "Anyways, send notice to the other villages that if they need protection of any kind, let us know. I can't risk the neighboring villages to be in danger either."

"That's a lot of resources and ninjas that we have to use if they request for any kind of protection...Konoha alone is already a lot to handle. Are you sure?"

Naruto made a small smile. "Just because I'm Hokage of Konoha, doesn't mean that my duty rests only in this village. The Shinobi Nations are one...we protect one another."

Shikamaru made no further comment. Of course Naruto would say something like...he was someone who would go through great lengths to keep anyone and everyone out of danger. "I'll take care of it, then. You should go rest...or at least take a short nap." With him worrying about his own village and other villages as well, Shikamamaru knew that Naruto was only going to be even more stressed out. It definitely wasn't good for him.

"Eeeeeh, I don't feel like it. Let's go check on the trade stocks...and I heard that we're a little low on our supplies at the hospital. They've been asking for more medical supplies lately." Naruto started walking towards the door, but Shikamaru stopped him.

"Hokage. Please take a break."

Naruto glared at him for being so persistent. "I said I'm fine. I can't take a break with so many things going on-,"

"That's not a valid excuse. You have me, plus plenty of other jounin and ninjas who can help you take on these tasks. Just give me a list of whatever you need us to check on, and we'll do it for you."

"...ugh...at times like these, I'm gonna have to use your own word against you..." Naruto groaned. "So troublesome."

Shikamaru simply smirked. "That should be my line right now."

Naruto rolled his eyes, but he eventually gave in and walked back to his desk, picking up a scroll on the side of his pile of documents. "Fine, then. Here are a few things that I needed to do that I wrote down earlier. I'll go take a nap for a quick hour or two...but let me know if there are any problems."

Shikamaru nodded and made a small bow as Naruto walked past him and out the door.

* * *

Naruto looked up at the sky and realized that the sun was already setting.

"Taking a nap at a time like this is weird...I'm gonna end up waking up in the middle of night and that'll just mess up my sleeping schedule even more."

He sighed and shook his head. "Nice advice, Shikamaru...geez, this is exactly why I don't listen to him."

He then wondered where Hinata and the rest of the team were. They should be on their way back if they delivered the scrolls successfully. And god...he missed her like crazy. He didn't realize that they would grow to be this close to each other and he knew for sure now that at this point of his life, she was the most important person to him.

His mind flashed back to when they were just kids in the academy, and how she always blushed and fainted around him. It was a shock when he heard her confession to him when she was protecting him from Pain. He never had a woman who would love him so much to the extent that she would risk her own life for him. And even further than that, she stood by his side when he fought against Madara and Obito in the war. He remembered clearly how she slapped him out of his discouragement...she was the one who gave him the strength to continue the fight for both his comrades who were still fighting alongside him, and for those who have died at the battle scene. He let Obito convince him that the death of his comrades were for nothing, and he almost gave up...but Hinata reminded him that he held more than one life in his hands. She reminded him of his reason for fighting and she reminded him that he should never go back on his ninja way.

She was the one who held him together when he was about to fall apart. Her mere presence gave him the confidence to strive forward to be a better person and a better shinobi. Her smile and the way she looked at him like he was everything to her, made him feel so loved and made him feel like he could do anything in the world. Even now, without her by his side, he was anxious over everything that's happening in the village.

Naruto stopped walking at that thought and he narrowed his eyes.

_She was the one who held him together._

It wasn't Sasuke.

It wasn't Kakashi.

It wasn't his father, or the other former Hokages who had fought alongside him.

It wasn't even Sakura.

It was Hinata...and he realized that it was** always** Hinata. It was like everything that had happened in the past purposely led up to where they were now, and maybe, the kind of girl that he had always wanted...wasn't Sakura, but Hinata.

And then it suddenly hit him, that maybe this was all meant to be...that all this happened for a reason...that he and Hinata were meant to be together from the start.

* * *

**I know this one was short, but there's more in store in the next chapter! Review :)**


	12. Together, We Help

**Together, We Help**

* * *

Naruto woke up, frantic, and panicking.

...because it was morning. He actually slept through the _whole freaking night_. And it was already noon.

"That damn Shikamaru!" He growled and slipped on his Hokage robe before dashing out of the Hokage resident to his office. He was mad that he overslept, but he was even more annoyed that Shikamaru didn't even bother to come wake him up. So much for a "quick nap."

"Shit." He groaned, knowing that there will be a new, highly stacked pile of documents for him and there will probably be notification reports and files along with that, too. Sometimes he felt more like an office secretary than an actual Hokage...he didn't realize that there was so much paperwork involved.

'Now I know why Tsunade baa-chan was always so irritated...' He sighed and shook his head. Once he reached the Konoha Headquarters, he made his way up to the Hokage office.

Sure enough, when he opened the door, he let out a small shout of frustration when he saw the pile of paperwork on his desk.

"Morning, Hokage." Shikamaru came up from behind him.

"What the hell! You let me sleep through the whole evening and through the whole night! Why didn't you come wake me!?"

"You needed to rest." Shikamaru shrugged and handed him a small batch of yellow envelopes. "Those came from the trade stocks center this morning. They need you to review over them and sign your name to give them permission to start a trade route to Iwagakure."

Naruto rolled his eyes, even more annoyed by the fact that Shikamaru totally ignored his rants. He snatched them from Shikamaru's grip and walked to sit down at his desk.

"What's the situation with the neighboring villages. Did any of them respond?"

"As of now, no villages are requesting for any protection. They also want to wait two days to see if there's any suspicious activities...they don't want to use extra resources and waste the time of our shinobi if there isn't even going to be an attack."

Naruto sighed and leaned back on his chair. "Alright, then. And the hospital?"

"Medical supplies have been replenished."

"Security headquarters?"

"The border guards are still on watch and they're checking the perimeter outside Konoha every 3 hours."

"Anything from the ninja academies?"

"Besides from the recent promotion of the children to Genin, there's nothing to report."

"...good." Naruto stood up and looked out at the village. "The team should be arriving back tonight. I get to see Hinata again." He smiled, all his negative thoughts vanishing at the thought of her.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow when Naruto suddenly turned around to face him, with his eyes shining. "Oh yea! When is the marriage date for you and Temari?" He sighed at that troublesome question. Sure, he loved Temari and sure, he knew that she was the one that he wanted to spend his life with, but he just hated when people got all nosy into their relationship. And of course, Naruto was the most nosiest person he knew.

"In four months."

Naruto's jaw dropped. "But...but that's so long! If you love someone, wouldn't you want to get married right away?"

"Ehh...not really. It could wait." Shikamaru shrugged.

"Wha? How can you say, that, though? It would only make sense if you want to get married as soon as possible because you want to be with that person, right? You two should definitely push the wedding date to be earlier." Naruto grinned hopefully at him. It'd be both weird and exciting to see a man such as Shikamaru to get married and settle down.

"Well, I mean...we both already know how we feel. That's enough confirmation that we are together, whether married or not. And it doesn't matter whether we push the wedding date to be earlier or later...I already know that she's mine." Shikamaru almost cringed at how cheesy he must've sounded right now, but whatever...he was Naruto's advisor. He might as well advise.

Naruto blinked. "Interesting...I guess I wouldn't know how that feels like. I got married too quick to Hinata...but I mean, everything's been working out lately. I never imagined that I'd be this happy with her as my wife."

Though it's been nearly 7 months since Naruto and Hinata's wedding, Shikamaru still stood surprised at how much Naruto adored her. Maybe he was just too used to seeing Naruto chase after Sakura, so it was strange to see Naruto finally return Hinata's feelings.

'Well, I guess it's refreshing, too. It's nice to them both happy.' Shikamaru thought as he put his hands in his pockets. "...anyways. I'll go check on the surveillance process outside the gates. I'll report back to you in a bit."

* * *

Everyone was relieved once the Konoha gates were in view.

"We're here, Lady Hinata!" Kiba announced.

Hinata smiled weakly at him and nodded. She was glad that they made it back to the village even before the sun was setting...that meant Sakura had a good chance to recover. "Sakura's safe now...I've slowed down the process enough. We just have to get her to the hospital so she can be treated by Lady Tsunade."

"Lady, Hinata, you can rest now...thank you." Sasuke replied genuinely as Hinata took a deep breath before she released herself from the jutsu.

As expected, she immediately felt an excruciating pain coursing through her body when she stopped the healing and she winced when the throbbing in her head got worse. She's never felt such pain and immense exhaustion all at once in her life like this. Her vision blurred and though she knew Kiba and Shino ran to her aid, their voices were only small echoes that faded away.

"Lady Hinata!" Kiba caught her in his arms when she fell unconscious and collapsed off of Akamaru. "Come on, Shino, we have to get her to the hospital, too. The rest of you guys report back to the Hokage ASAP." Everyone nodded in agreement.

When they got near to the gates, the border guards didn't bother to stop them because they saw Hinata and Sakura's state.

"It's the Hokage's wife! Let them through!"

Once they entered back in the village, Sasuke carried Sakura in his arms as he dashed alongside Kiba and Shino to the hospital while the others ran the opposite direction to the Konoha headquarters.

* * *

"Get the herbs ready!"

Tsunade's voice rung through the hallways as multiple doctors and nurses went back and forth, getting supplies and such.

"Can you save them both?" Kiba questioned anxiously.

Tsunade's hand hovered over both Sakura and Hinata and she narrowed her eyes. "For sure, Sakura can recover. We have the antidote to treat this poison. Hinata did a good job healing her, but..." She sighed and gazed down worriedly at Hinata's exhausted state. "...Hinata's chakra is almost completely drained. At this point, she probably can't move for days and I don't even know when she'll be able to wake up. Performing two healing techniques at once is very life-threatening...if you guys got here any later, she probably wouldn't even be alive."

"Is there any way of ensuring that she can live?" Shino asked.

Tsunade stayed quiet for a few moments and then something clicked. "The Hokage."

It was a simple statement, but they all understood. Naruto had more chakra than any other shinobi they knew.

Tsunade called over two doctors to transfer Sakura to an emergency room so they can start the curing process immediately. "Treat her external wounds and check for any internal damage. If there's no severe injuries, then you guys can go ahead and inject the antidote." The doctors nodded before they rolled Sakura's hospital bed away to the another ward. Sasuke excused himself before following after them.

"We need to get the Hokage here now, so that we can start the healing process on Hinata, too."

"The others are reporting back to him right now. No doubt, he should be here in a few moments." Shino explained.

Tsunade nodded and then pressed her palm lightly against Hinata's forehead. "...she's cold...her body temperature isn't even regulating properly right now."

Kiba reached over to hold Hinata's hand and he squeezed it tightly. '...come on, Hinata...don't die on us...we still need you here.'

* * *

Naruto was taken by surprise when they all appeared in his office out of nowhere. His eyes lit up at the sight of them and he immediately stood up to greet them. "You guys are back!"

His smile slowly disappeared when he realized that the whole team wasn't there. "...where's everyone else?" He narrowed his eyes. "Where's Team 8? Where's Sasuke and Sakura?"

"The mission was a success." Sai commented. "Your presence is requested at the hospital, immediately."

Naruto's raced just a little faster and that pit of fear coursed through his body again. "Why? What happened?" So that bad feeling wasn't just a superstition...something _did_ go wrong. When no one spoke up, he got angry and slammed his fist down on his desk, startling them. "**_What happened?_**"

Lee stepped forward. "During the fight with the rebels, Sakura got poisoned."

Naruto's eyes widened.

"She was in a very bad condition, but Lady Hinata was able to slow down the process enough for us to reach it back here."

Naruto felt a small wave of relief was over him. He'd have to thank Hinata later. "What about Team 8?"

Lee hesitated a bit. "...um..." He glanced at both Sai and Ino, who clearly looked like they didn't want to be the ones to break the news to Naruto. "...Lady Hinata...is also in great danger."

Naruto didn't even need to hear anymore. In a blink of an eye, he disappeared from the office, leaving the three standing there dumbfounded.

* * *

Everyone in the hospital was surprised at Naruto's sudden appearance and they all bowed to him respectfully. Naruto paid no attention to them and his eyes searched frantically for Hinata.

"Hokage!"

Naruto turned to see Kiba and Shino running towards him. He grabbed Kiba's sleeve frantically and looked at them both anxiously. "Where is she?!"

"With Lady Tsunade. Come on!"

Naruto quickly followed after them as they led him to the emergency ward. Once they reached the room where Hinata was, Naruto's heart dropped at the sight of Hinata's pale appearance. She looked lifeless and he felt even more afraid because he could barely sense her chakra.

"Why is she like this?" Naruto rushed to her side and took a hold of her hand.

"She used two healing techniques to help Sakura survive. Transferring that much of her own chakra and life force to another person took its toll on her body...if they got here any later, she probably won't even be breathing by now." Tsunade explained. "I need your chakra. You're the only one who can stabilize her with your chakra and even after that, you'll still be in good shape. If we don't get started soon, I don't know if she'll make it."

Naruto didn't have any complaints. He'll do whatever it took to save her. He couldn't let her die...she can't leave him like this. "Let's start now. We have to save her." He reached over and gently caressed the side of Hinata's cheek and his heart ached when he noticed that she was cold to the touch, as if she was already dead. God, he had never felt such fear like this in his life; he didn't know how he would cope with it if he lost her.

"Will she be awake once the healing process is done?"

Tsunade shook her head. "I'm afraid not. She'll most likely be in a comatose state for a few days...I don't know when exactly she'll be able to regain consciousness."

Naruto's teeth clenched and he tightened his grip on Hinata's hand, afraid that if he let go, she'll slip away. "Please, do whatever you can to keep her alive..." He looked at Tsunade with pleading eyes and she simply nodded at him.

"Don't worry. I will make sure that she lives."

* * *

**Next chapter will be up soon. Review!**


	13. Together, We Find the Truth

**Together, We Find the Truth**

* * *

Naruto left a clone to tend to his Hokage duties while his real self was in the hospital with Tsunade and Hinata.

It's been nearly two days into the healing process and Naruto felt weak with his chakra being drained out into Hinata's body, but he knew he was still strong enough to manage.

"Are you doing ok?" Tsunade asked.

Naruto nodded. "I'm fine. How long until her body's stabilized?"

"Twenty more minutes should be enough. After that, we'll move her into the ICU so we can keep watch on her."

Naruto was laying down on a hospital bed next to Hinata. Tsunade was in between them, transferring his chakra over to Hinata's body. He gazed over at his wife and he couldn't help but feel that guilt and heartache over and over again.

It just recently hit him that _she risked her life to save Sakura_. She was willing to give up her own life just to ensure that Sakura would be able to live. He felt thankful, yet angry and confused all at once. He knew that if she didn't do what she did...Sakura would probably be dead by now. But, how can she just fearlessly give away her own life force like that?

Didn't she even think about him?

Didn't she even consider that if she died, he would be left alone...again? She was the only person who loved him so genuinely. She stood by his side and cheered him on even when everyone else saw him as a loser. She was there through his toughest battles and inevitably, she was no doubt the sole reason why he even won the Fourth Great Ninja War. She gave him the courage and motivation to continue fighting for his dreams and for the people he held dear.

She was his reason for living.

So how can she just...decide on her own, that she'll risk her life like that? How can she just decide to_ leave_ him like that?

Tsunade looked down at Naruto and she could see all the different emotions in his expression. "...Naruto. What's wrong?"

Naruto swallowed the lump in his throat and he averted his eyes away from Hinata. "Why would she do this?"

Tsunade was a bit taken back by his question because the answer was pretty obvious. Hinata was someone who put others before herself, so of course she'd be willing to risk her own life for one of her comrades. "Sakura's one of her closest friends, Naruto. I don't think Hinata would be able to live with herself if she didn't do everything she can to save Sakura."

"She's my wife!" Naruto hissed.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes at his sudden outburst. Why was he so angry? Just what exactly was he thinking right now?

"How can she just selfishly decide on her own to risk her life without even considering that fact that if she died, she would be leaving me alone?"

"You should _stop_ right there, Naruto." Tsunade glared harshly at him. "You are the Hokage. You of all people should understand that what she did was _far_ from selfish. You of all people should know that she would risk her life, just not for Sakura, but for anyone who was in danger. She's a shinobi. By now, you should know that all ninjas face death everyday and no matter how much it may hurt you if she did die, she would have died for a good cause."

Naruto stayed quiet. He knew what she said was true...he was just...terrified. He was terrified at the thought of not having Hinata by his side anymore. He was scared out of his mind at the thought of spending the rest of his life without her.

"Naruto, she's still here. That's all that matters. You shouldn't be angry at her."

Naruto stared up at the celling, then slowly let his eyes close. God, he just wanted her to be awake...he had so much to say to her.

* * *

Sasuke was in a different hospital room with Sakura.

Fortunately, Sakura was able to regain consciousness after the antidote took effect on her body. She was still a bit weak, but she was recovering well.

"Has there been any news about Lady Hinata yet?" She asked.

"Tsunade and the Hokage are healing her right now. I don't know her actual condition, though." Sasuke replied.

Sakura looked down sadly and clenched the blanket in her fists. "...this is my fault. I was careless and now, she's like this. If only I didn't let my guard down in that instant, then everything would have been fine-,"

"Sakura." Sasuke cut her off. "There was no way of knowing that something like that was going to happen. What matters is that you're alive...and she's recovering, so I'm sure she'll be ok within a couple of days. We'll thank her when she's awake."

"Yea...I have my life to owe her." Sakura smiled weakly at him. "And you've been here for the past two days, so you should go home and rest. I'm ok, now."

Sasuke simply shook his head at her. "I'll stay until they discharge you."

Sakura just frowned at him and pouted. "That's gonna be a while. There's not much to do here anyways, so you'll get bored."

"There's not much to do at home."

"You can just go train or something. It's much better than wasting time here with me. I'm stuck in this bed for at least two more days, so it's going to be tiring just waiting for me to fully recover."

Sasuke stayed quiet. When he slowly got up, Sakura thought she had convinced him, but she was taken surprise and blushed when he leaned down to place a gentle kiss on her lips.

"Staying here with you is _not_ wasting my time, Sakura."

Sakura sat speechless as he leaned in again and kissed her forehead. "I'll go get some porridge for you since they allow for you to eat now. I'll be back." He replied quietly before leaving the room.

Sakura let out a sigh and shrunk down on her bed. It was so different, yet so heart-pounding to see this side of Sasuke. She just never thought that he would ever return her feelings, so having him love her so much like this...it was like a dream.

She wondered how Naruto was feeling right now. Would he be mad at her because she caused Hinata to risk her life like this? Once she recovered, she had to go apologize to him. Instead of protecting Hinata, Hinata ended up protecting her. If Hinata had died...she was never going to forgive herself. She was sure that Naruto would be devastated, too.

She always thought that Naruto would be crushing on her forever...but now, when she saw how he looked at Hinata, she was glad that he finally got it through his head that Hinata was the one for him.

God, she hoped that Hinata would be ok in a couple of days. She had to thank Hinata for everything...Hinata didn't deserve to be in this state. And Naruto didn't deserve to be going through this either.

Her thoughts were cut short when she heard the door suddenly open. She turned, expecting it to be Sasuke again, but much to her surprise, Naruto walked in and then closed the door behind him. Well, speak of the devil.

"...Hokage." She proceeded to sit up to greet him, but Naruto raised up a hand, insisting that she stayed down.

"You're still recovering. There's no need for that." He replied as he came beside her and sat down. "How are you feeling?"

Sakura couldn't even bring herself to look at him. "I'm doing better. I think I'll be able to be discharged in a few days. Um..." She hesitated. "..how is Lady Hinata?"

Naruto stayed quiet for a few moments and then he smiled softly at her. "I just got done with the healing process so they transferred her to the ICU. She's stabilized now, so we're just waiting to see when she'll be able to regain consciousness."

"...I'm sorry..." Sakura muttered quietly. "...I put her life in danger-,"

"Sakura, don't blame yourself. I'm just glad that you're alright...if she didn't do what she did, you probably wouldn't even be here. And Sasuke would totally turn into an asshole again if you weren't around."

Sakura managed to crack a smile at his statement. Geez, even in a serious situation, Naruto still came up with the smartest remarks or jokes. She was glad that he didn't lose his humor even though he was Hokage. She finally gathered up enough courage to gaze up at him and she realized how tired he looked.

"How long was the healing process?"

"Two days straight."

Sakura's eyes widened. "So you haven't slept for two days?"

"I'm good. I can't sleep with Hinata in that state, anyways...I'm too worried." Naruto sighed and leaned back against the chair, running his fingers through his blonde hair. "So...don't feel like you have to apologize to me or her, Sakura-chan. I'm glad you're alive, and Hinata will probably be happy about it too, once she sees you all healed."

"I have to at least thank her when she wakes up."

"Yea, me too. She managed to complete the mission _and_ saved you. She's one hell of a shinobi."

Sakura couldn't help but smile at his statement. "I think it's safe to say that all women in Konoha should follow in her steps. She's so brave and fearless...she's a lot like you, Hokage."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Like me?"

"Well, she's been admiring you since childhood. You're someone who she looks up to, so of course she would want to be like you. Just like how you never gave up on anything, she never did either. You're everything to her. You were her inspiration, her role model, her first love, and now, you're her beloved husband...I'm kind of jealous of her, to be honest." Sakura let out soft laugh. "She's living a life that many women would kill to have."

Her words struck him hard and he didn't know why. Hinata's love for him was so pure and honest that even Sakura was able to tell him how much Hinata valued him. That guilty feeling came again when he thought about all those moments when he still had Sakura in the back of his mind when he and Hinata were together.

He averted his attention down at the ground and neither of them spoke for a while. Somehow, it felt different. Sitting here with Sakura, he didn't necessarily feel anything towards her right now. Of course he was relieved and beyond happy that she was recovering well, but that was it. The usual spark he felt in his chest was gone.

_It was gone._

He narrowed his eyes and slowly glanced up at her. Normally, just one look at her would get his heart racing. Whenever he saw her shining emerald eyes, her pink hair, and her bright smile, he was always so sure that this was the woman he was going to love until death.

But, he wasn't so sure anymore. It was so strange and this feeling of nothingness towards her was something that was so different that it actually made him scared. Was he not in love with her anymore...?

He froze at that thought and kept his gaze on her, expecting that familiar sensation of love and adoration to fill his heart, but there was nothing.

_Nothing. _

He wasn't in love with her anymore.

Naruto let out a shaky sigh of disbelief and then it hit him like a hard slap in the face.

Holy shit. _**He wasn't in love with Sakura Haruno anymore. **_

And then in that exact moment, Hinata suddenly appeared in his mind. His mind was flooded with her loving words and her genuine actions and he felt joy and pride just thinking about her like this. His hands clenched into fists and that heart-wrenching feeling consumed him once again.

He was so _stupid_. He was in denial this whole time.

When he kept telling himself that he simply adored and admired her, he was only covering up what he really felt for her. He felt jealous whenever he saw her with other men because he couldn't fathom the thought of her being with anyone else except him. Whenever he held her in his arms or kissed her, he knew for a fact that he couldn't imagine doing such intimate things with anyone else...not even with Sakura. When he laid next to her earlier, he felt such fear and anger at the thought of her death because he knew he would break apart if she left him.

"Oh my god..."

Sakura glanced up at him. "What's wrong?"

Naruto swallowed the lump in his throat and he opened his mouth to answer her, but he stayed speechless.

Sakura blinked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Hokage? Are you ok...?" He looked confused, yet relieved at the same time. She's never seen him with such an expression before. It was like he hit an epiphany, yet he was in denial.

He slowly got up. "I..." He paused for a moment, contemplating the words that he was about to confess to her right now. "...I...I think I love her."

He didn't say the name, but Sakure knew exactly who he was referring to. Gosh, was he going to be this dense his whole life? She simply smiled at him and shook her head, happy that he finally came to his senses. She knew he probably fell in love with Hinata a while ago, but it seems like he just realized it now. She reached over and held his hand, squeezing it tightly.

"I think you love her, too...idiot."

Naruto couldn't even put into words at how good he felt right now. He felt like a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders and those guilty and pitiful emotions that were driving him crazy disappeared. Even when his eyes met Sakura's, he could say for sure now without hesitating, that he no longer had a one-sided love.

"Um, I'm gonna go back and stay with her-,"

"Just go. Sasuke will be back soon, so I'm fine here." Sakura reassured him. She could see how eager he was now that he came to realize his feelings. He quickly bid her goodbye before rushing out the door.

* * *

Once he reached Hinata's room, he slid it open and his heart thumped at the sight of her. She looked so relaxed now that her body was stabilized. He looked at the monitor and was glad that her heart rate and blood pressure was normal and her body temperature was regulating again.

He walked over to her and sat down, holding her hands in his.

"...please, wake up soon, Hinata." His eyes softened and he planted a small kiss on her hands. "I have something that I want to tell you...something that I _need_ to tell you. So please...wake up soon." Naruto leaned forward and pressed his lips against her forehead.

God, she meant so much to him and he knew now that he was right about something he had predicted a few months earlier...that he might come to love her more than he's ever loved anyone else.

And staring at her right now...he knew for a fact that he would be in crazily in love with her for the rest of his life.

* * *

**Yes, he's finally realized that he's crazy in love with her ^-^**

**Review! Next chapter will be up soon. **


	14. Together, We Love

**Together, We Love**

* * *

Two weeks passed.

Sakura was discharged from the hospital and now she was recovering at home, with Sasuke's help. Hinata, on the other hand, was still in the hospital, unconscious.

Without her around, Naruto had to disperse his clones around the village to do the duties so he was very busy. He made some time to visit her everyday, but he couldn't stay for as long as he liked because he often had other matters to tend to.

It was very exhausting.

He was waiting both eagerly and patiently for her to wake up. A part of him was scared that she might never wake up, and another part was confident that she'll be strong enough to fully recover. He hoped that she would come to her senses soon...he needed to tell her his feelings. She's been having a one-sided love for him her whole life, and it took him this long, even after their marriage, to realize what he truly felt towards her.

She deserved to be loved. And when she wakes up, he'll be sure to remind her everyday of just how much he loves her.

As of right now, he was at the hospital again, with Tsunade.

"It's been two weeks. She should have woken up by now." Naruto reached for Hinata's hand and held it tightly.

"It's not something that we'll know for sure. It could be another week before she's conscious again...it might even be a month or a year. Her body's stabilized, her heart rate is normal, and she has enough chakra. At this point, all we can do now is hope." Tsunade explained.

"...a month...a _year_...?" Naruto's jaw clenched. That was far too long. He missed her so much. He wanted to see her open her beautiful eyes and he wanted to see her smile. He missed her voice and her laughter...he missed the warmth of her body next to him when they slept at night and he missed holding her.

He sighed and sat down, holding her hand against his forehead. "Come on, Hinata...don't leave me."

Tsunade's eyes saddened. She's never seen him this devastated before...at least, not towards Hinata. He must really love her.

"Hokage."

Shikamaru came in the room and bowed to the both of them. "Hokage, there's been a letter sent from the Raikage regarding the rebels. You should come and take a look. The Kazekage is also arriving today to discuss about the secret scrolls that you sent to Kumogakure."

Naruto sighed once again, irritated that he never got to spend a good amount of time with Hinata. He gazed at her for a moment longer before he stood up and walked towards the door.

"Don't worry, we'll notify you immediately if anything comes up." Tsunade reassured him as he nodded and then exited along with Shikamaru.

* * *

Naruto's eyes scanned over the letter and he felt relieved when he finished. The rebels were taken care of and many of them were imprisoned in the Kumogakure security headquarters. Fortunately, no rebels were able to make their way to Konoha, so Konoha and the neighboring villages were safe now.

"Pull back any remaining shinobi that are fifteen miles out of the village gates. We don't need anymore heavy security watch for now." Naruto set the letter down and looked at the time. "When will Gaara be here?"

"He should be here by tonight."

Naruto nodded and leaned back against his chair. "My proposal in the scrolls were a bit ambitious. Since Gaara's gonna be here today, I'm assuming he'll most likely agree with me, but I 'm not too sure about the other Kages."

"Your proposals were reasonable and it'll bring the villages together even more. There's no logical reason why they would oppose it...besides, every shinobi already acknowledged that they wanted to live in a world where all ninjas are united."

Naruto grinned. "Right? I shouldn't worry about it. We'll be able to ma

* * *

intain peace if they all agree to it."

"Other than that, is your health ok?"

Naruto's smile immediately dropped. "Geez, you always act like I'm an old man with no stamina at all. Don't you know who I am after all these years?"

"I'm just making sure. You're been working extra hard without Lady Hinata here to help."

"I'm fine. I have my clones, I have you, and a bunch of other ninjas who have been helping me out. It's been a bit hectic because I'm always thinking about her, but...I'll manage." Naruto shrugged as he got up and looked out at the village. "Go ahead to the security headquarters and tell them to pull back their shinobi. I'm gonna drop by to see Sakura and Sasuke for just a few minutes."

* * *

Sakura almost dropped her soup spoon when the door bell rang.

"Ah...what the hell?" She groaned and set down her bowl of hot soup before she went to the door. She opened it and her eyes widened slightly when she saw Naruto. "Hokage!" She immediately bowed to him, but Naruto only chuckled and stopped her.

"Sorry, I surprised you, huh. Is Sasuke here, too?"

Sakura invited him in and shook her head. "He left a while ago to go get a few of his things. He keeps insisting to stay here for a couple more days until he's sure that I won't randomly faint or something like that. I'm doing pretty fine, though, so I don't know why he's so worried."

"Well, he did almost lose you, you know. You can't even imagine how scared he probably was." Naruto sat down on the couch and Sakura followed after him, sitting across from him.

"Mm, I guess he was pretty scared, huh. It's just different because I'm still getting used to him being like this." Sakura sighed. "...what about you? Are you doing okay? I heard that Lady Hinata is still being hospitalized."

"Ah. We're just waiting to see when she'll wake up. It's been two weeks already, and I am getting anxious...but I know that right now, I just have to be patient and have hope that she'll come back to me."

Sakura smiled faintly at him. "When she wakes up...you'll tell her, won't you?"

Naruto smiled back. "Of course. That's the first thing I'll do. She's done so much for me so the least I can do is return her feelings...and even after that, I know I have to continue to cherish and love her more than I've ever loved anyone else."

"You really are dense...it took you this long to realize your feelings for her."

"I know." Naruto sighed and looked down at his hands. "I owe her a lot...and I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to her. I can't even imagine living life without her now."

"I'm so happy for you. Let's just hope that she'll wake up soon. I also owe her a lot and I know Sasuke wants to thank her, too."

"Speaking of Sasuke..." Naruto narrowed his eyes. "...has he even asked you to marry him yet?"

Sakura was a bit taken back by the sudden question and she laughed softly. "Hokage, you and I both know he's not the type to propose or ask for my hand in marriage."

"Eeeh, but you know, he's changed now!"

"For now, having him return my feelings like this is enough for me. After all we've been through in the past, I'm more than happy to see this side of him. He's content with his life now, so I'm fine, too. Whether he wants to marry me or not, that's his decision. I'll always be here and I'll always love him, so I'll support whatever choice he makes. If he does ask me to marry him, of course, I'll say yes. If he doesn't, living like this beside him is also fine for me. Knowing that he loves me now, that's all that matters."

Naruto's gaze softened at her. He was so glad that both of his teammates were finding happiness now. Though they've been through the hardest trials and the darkest times...they still managed to be here today, together. He was always hopeful that Sasuke would return back to the village, but he never imagined for everything to fall into place so perfectly like this.

"I really do hope that he proposes to you, though. And not just a half-assed proposal, you know?"

Sakura laughed again and nodded. "Thank you."

Naruto looked over to the kitchen and he blinked a couple of times before pointing to the boiling pot of soup that was spilling over on the stove. "...isn't that burning?"

Sakura gasped and quickly ran over to the kitchen to turn off the fire. "Ah, damn it!"

Naruto also got up and walked to the kitchen. "Was that for lunch?"

"Yea, I was making it for Sasuke. It doesn't look too bad, right? I think I might've overcooked it...the vegetables are a bit too soggy."

"Aah, I think it's still fine. At least Sasuke gets to eat the food you make...I miss Hinata's cooking." Naruto sighed and leaned against the counter.

Sakura stirred the soup for a few seconds before covering the pot and setting it aside. She glanced over at Naruto and noticed his distant expression. 'He's probably thinking about Hinata...'

"Naruto."

Naruto looked up at her, surprised that she said his name. It felt kinda good to hear someone call his actual name rather than just calling him "Hokage."

"Yes?"

"Are you really ok?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? I'm fine."

Sakura slightly glared at him. "Tell me the truth. I've known you forever, so I know something's up."

Naruto kept his eyes locked on hers and he figured that she'll probably be persistent in asking him until he answered her truthfully. If not that, then she'll probably get mad at him and throw a punch at him or pummel him to the ground. He totally forgot how scary she can be when she gets mad.

Giving up, he let out a deep breath and then lowered his gaze to the ground. "...do you think that maybe...she might not _want_ to wake up...?"

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Why would you say that?"

"Well, because...all she's ever known in life...was pain. Her father never acknowledged her till now, her little sister is seen as the stronger one, Neji is...dead...and...and she's lived her whole life, loving someone like me, who didn't even look at her once. She's been looked down on for so long, and now that I think about it, that's something that's too painful to live with. Feeling like a burden to everyone and feeling like you're not good enough...maybe she might think it's better to not come back...and I'm scared of that. What if she doesn't want to wake up, Sakura?"

Sakura felt angry, but she couldn't even yell at him right now because of his heartbroken expression. He looked so lost and just so...so afraid. She just shook her head at him and sighed. "Why do you have so little faith in her? Didn't you just tell me a few moments ago that you'll be patient and have hope that she'll come back?"

Naruto clenched his hands into fists. He didn't even know how to answer that, because he was so torn. Yes, he knew he had to patient and have hope, but at the same time, he couldn't help but feel like Hinata just didn't want to come back anymore.

"Hey." Sakura walked over to him and lightly placed her hand on his shoulder. "This isn't the Naruto I know. You're not someone who gives up so easily, especially on the people you love. Hinata has admired you all her life, and I've never seen her given up on anything...so what makes you think she'll give up on her own life?"

Naruto stayed quiet, because he knew that what she said was true. He shouldn't even be like this. And he knew damn well, that Hinata was a fighter. He let out a shaky sigh and then closed his eyes tightly. "...you're right. I shouldn't be like this. I have to-,"

Before he could finish, the door burst open and they both turned to see Sasuke standing there, slightly out of breath.

"Sasuke? What's wrong?" Sakura asked worriedly, seeing the look on his face.

Instead of answering her, his eyes traveled to Naruto. "...she's awake."

Naruto literally froze in place and his eyes widened. "She's awake...?"

"Yes, but..."

That made Naruto's heart drop. _But? But what?_ Wasting no time, he ran over and frantically grabbed Sasuke's sleeve. "But what?!"

"...she's not in her room."

Naruto opened his mouth, but he couldn't find any words to say. She wasn't in her room? What the hell did that even mean? She was _missing_? She was in the ICU, with nurses and doctors, and even Tsunade, keeping a watch on her, so how the hell can she just suddenly not be in her bed anymore?

"Hokage, calm down." Sasuke shot a glare at him and took a step back when he saw the look on Naruto's face. Recognizing the immense chakra that was pouring out of Naruto right now, Sasuke knew that he was going to go into Sage Mode right now...probably because by doing that, he could locate where Hinata was immediately.

"Don't tell me to _calm down_ when my wife is missing from the hospital." Naruto hissed at him.

Without another word, Naruto disappeared in a blink of an eye, leaving Sasuke and Sakura to stand there alone.

* * *

Hinata stood at the top of the Hokage monuments, looking down at the village. She changed earlier, so she was holding her hospital gown in one arm while she sat down.

Judging from how her nails grew longer and how her bangs were now slightly covering over her eyes, she knew she must have been unconscious for probably about two weeks or more. She felt ashamed...that's why she snuck out without anyone knowing. She felt guilty for not waking up sooner and she thought about how much Naruto was probably stressing out because he was worrying about her while doing his duties as well. She was surprised that she was still alive, too. She was so sure that she wasn't going to survive after doing two healing techniques at once like that.

'..they probably know I'm missing by now...' She thought. She honestly just wanted some fresh air and she knew the hospital staff and Tsunade would restrict her from leaving the hospital if she asked, so she figured she might as well just leave without permission. She was the Lady Hokage after all...she didn't really need permission.

She wondered if Naruto came to visit her while she was unconscious...and she wondered who he was more worried about when he found out about hers and Sakura's condition. She was sure that Sakura was fine by now, but she could just imagine Naruto's grief stricken expression when he heard that Sakura was poisoned.

Hinata clutched her hospital gown tighter and then stood up. She let out a quiet gasp when she suddenly felt lightheaded and her vision stared to blur...damn it, she got up too fast. She tried to regain her posture but she knew she was going to collapse before she could stable herself, so she close her eyes tightly and waited to hit the dirt floor below her.

"Hinata!"

She felt an all-too-familiar presence coming at lightning speed towards her and instead of falling on the hard ground, she felt a pair of strong arms catch her. Her eyes fluttered open to see Naruto panting heavily and he stared at her with a worried expression.

"...N...Naruto..."

Instead of responding to her, he pulled her close to his chest and embraced her tightly. "Hinata..." He felt so relieved and happy to see her awake, but yet, he was still worried because he knew she definitely was in no condition to leave the hospital yet.

Hinata blushed at how he was embracing her like she was everything to him. And how did he even _know_ that she was up here? Gently, she pushed away from him and realized that he was in Sage mode. "Why are you like this? Did something happen?"

"I just...I needed to find you." Naruto muttered and then relaxed, returning back to normal. He kept looking at her, his eyes traveling over her face and body, to reassure himself that she was really here in front of him. "Why did you leave your room?"

Hinata averted her eyes away from him and she hesitated a bit before answering. "I'm sorry, for not waking up sooner. I just wanted to leave for a bit to get some fresh air and because I felt like such a nuisance for not being able to come back sooner. You must've been working really hard lately..." She reached up to touch his face, but he stopped her and gently grasped her wrist.

For some reason, he felt angry. Why the hell was she worrying about him when her health wasn't even good yet? Why the hell did she always have to put others before herself, like she didn't even matter at all?

Hinata was taken back when she recognized that angry look. Was he mad at her? "...um, if I did something to upset you, I'm sorry-,"

"Stop...just please,_ stop_ apologizing." He sighed. "Why are you worrying about me when you should be thinking about your own health? Do you even know how anxious and worried I've been these two weeks?"

Hinata was about to apologize again, but she kept her mouth shut and didn't say anything.

"And how can you just sneak out of the hospital when clearly, your body can't handle it yet? You just almost fainted right now!"

This was the first time Naruto ever scolded her and even got mad at her, so she wasn't sure what to do or what to say. She was about to just tell him that she'll go back to the hospital, but then narrowed her eyes because she couldn't help but feel irritated, also.

_Her body can't handle it yet?_ The only reason why she almost fainted just now was because she got up too fast, so she got a head-rush. If she had enough stamina to get herself from the hospital all the way up to the Hokage monuments that overlooked Konoha, she was damn sure that her body was fully recovered now.

"I don't need to go back to the hospital."

Naruto slightly glared at her. "You have to, Hinata. You're going to be exhausted-,"

"I'm not that weak."

"I didn't say you were _weak_! I just don't want you putting herself in danger again."

"If you're referring to Sakura, you have to understand that I put my life on the line because I needed to save her."

Naruto clenched his hands into fists and tried to calm down, but he couldn't suppress his anger. "So you would just die without a second thought? You would willingly transfer that much of your life force to another person to the extent where you wouldn't even be alive anymore?"

"I did it to ensure that she'll live, Naruto!" Hinata couldn't believe this. She didn't ever think that she'll raise her voice at him, out of all people, but it just pissed her off that he didn't understand why she did what she did.

"I don't understand why couldn't you at least tell someone else on the team to lend their chakra to you. Was it so hard to ask for someone to help?"

"They were exhausted, too! I can't do that to them, not especially after they just fought off the rebels!"

"They are ninjas, Hinata! Capable ninjas who can each lend a little of their own chakra to help you heal Sakura! But you did it all on your own and you risked your own life so unnecessarily!"

"Unnecessarily? I risked my life_ unnecessarily_? They are ninjas, but they are also my people, from my beloved village. I'd rather have them replenish on their chakra than give it to me! I had enough to manage-,"

"If you had enough to manage, then why the hell did you almost _**die**_?!"

Hinata opened her mouth to argue back, but she couldn't find the right words to say. She softened her gaze when she realized that she was staring at him so intensely and then she let out a small sigh. She might as well just say the truth about how she felt; it wasn't like it was going to make a difference anyways. "...I'd rather it be me, than her, Naruto. I'm your wife..." Hinata paused and then she gazed at him with an expression that just nearly broke him.

"...but she's the woman you love. So how can I _not_ risk my life to save her, when she means so much to you?"

Naruto felt that wrenching heartache in his chest again. Her words pierced right through him and he almost felt like crying. Everything she did, every decision she made, was for him. Even in her last possible moments of life, she still thought of him above everything else, and yet, here he was, raising his voice at her and getting mad for stupid reasons.

"Why...why do you keep thinking that you mean nothing to me...?" He shook his head at her and he felt even more horrible than he already was when he saw that her eyes were getting watery. He didn't want her to cry.

Hinata's lips trembled and when she blinked, the tears that she tried so hard to hold back fell down her cheeks. She couldn't suppress the quiet sob that came out when Naruto reached forward and softly wiped her tears away with his thumb.

She knew her voice was going to shake when she spoke, but she didn't care. She wanted an answer now.

"Then what _do_ I mean to you, Naruto?"

God, he loved her so much. And seeing how much she was crying right now, he finally understood how much pain she endured all these years when she had to stand from afar and watch him love Sakura. He leaned in closer to her and then wiped away her remaining tears. He placed a heartwarming kiss on her forehead, her cheeks, her nose, and on her lips. His heart was pounding right now because the words that were going to come out of his mouth this instant were words that he's never said to anyone before. It was nerve-wrecking, but as a man, he knew he had to confess to her. She's been waiting for far too long and she deserved better.

"...everything." He embraced her in his arms and buried his face into her lavender scented hair. "You mean everything to me."

Hinata's heart was also racing...probably twice as much as his was. She was anticipating his every word and for some reason, deep down, she already knew what he was going to say to her. All those moments they spent together couldn't have been for nothing. All those times where he held her so intimately, where he kissed her on a whim, and where he looked at her so longingly was definite proof that he did feel something for her.

She just wanted to hear it from him. She wanted to know his true answer.

"All my life, you've been there supporting me, even when I didn't see it. You've loved me at my lowest and you've loved me when I was at my best. You're beautiful and strong, yet you still know how to be humble and virtuous. You were the reason why I remembered why I was fighting and you reminded me of my ninja way. You're all these things that I didn't even know I wanted..."

When he pulled away from her, he realized that she wasn't crying anymore and he couldn't help but smile when he saw a hint of anticipation and hope in her eyes.

"...so how could I_ not_ fall in love with you?"

* * *

**Review :) Next chapter will probably be the last. Thank you guys for following through with this story and I hope you guys truly enjoyed it! Please take a look at my other stories and look out for new ones! ^-^**


	15. Together, We Are One

**Together, We Are One**

* * *

Denial.

That's definitely what Hinata was feeling.

She ended up returning back to the hospital and stayed for another two days before she could be discharged. The next couple of following days after that were...well, amazing, but it was also very different.

She noticed how much more eager Naruto was whenever he saw her and much to her surprise, he managed to convince the Konoha Council to allow them to do most of their duties together. It was more convenient that way and she loved the fact that she could stay beside him for almost the whole day.

The only thing she was trying to get used to, was the fact that he actually loved her back now. Though she was happy beyond belief that he finally returned her feelings, she just needed time to actually process it. It was just something that was hard to believe, because she's had a one-sided love for him for so long. After his confession on the Hokage Monuments, she just stood frozen. Though she knew he definitely did feel something for her and she was anticipating those words, it still came as a shock to her.

And now that their feelings were mutual, they needed to discuss about the rest of their future together. She knew for sure that she wanted children and she wanted to raise a family with him, but she didn't know if he was ready for that yet. Also, to have children...they would have to consummate their marriage, and she didn't know if _she_ was ready for that.

As of now, she just got done with her duties at the academy, so she was heading over to the Hokage's office. On the way, however, she ended up bumping into Kiba and Akamaru.

"Sooo, are you doing ok, now? Ya know, you had us all worried sick when you were out for those whole two weeks."

Hinata nodded. "I'm a lot better now, thanks. Where are you going right now?"

"Ah, Akamaru and I are gonna head over to the training grounds...it's been too peaceful lately. We haven't had a good fight since we went against those rebels. It gets boring when there's no threats." Kiba shrugged as he patted Akamaru's head. "And you?"

"I have some stuff to take care of with the Hokage. Politics."

Hinata laughed when Kiba cringed at that word. "Sounds even more boring."

"...hm, you should find yourself a girlfriend, Kiba."

Kiba scratched the back of his head and sighed. "Eeeh, maybe. I'm not really interested in that stuff. It's a lot more fun just looking at other people's relationships...and speaking of relationships, it's almost been a whole year since you've been married to the Hokage. Still haven't thought about having kids yet?"

"Well honestly, I have been thinking about it. I really do want a family...but I just don't know if Naruto's ready for it."

"Heh, I'm pretty sure he's ready! He grew up without knowing his parents, so I'm pretty sure he'd want his own children so that he can be a dad to them."

"True...I'm just a little hesitant to bring it up to him, that's all."

"Why? You two should openly talk about things like this if you guys are married. That's the whole point of marriage, isn't it? To be with the person you love and have a family with them."

Hinata stayed quiet and simply averted her eyes down to the ground. He was right. She shouldn't be so scared to bring it up to Naruto. After all, he did love her now...so...he'd want to have a family with her, wouldn't he?

"Well! We're gonna be headed this way!" Kiba replied and waved goodbye before he hopped onto Akamaru's back. "...and hurry up with the miniatures of you and the Hokage, will you? I'm gonna be an awesome uncle to them!"

Hinata blushed at his words and just smiled and shook her head as she watched him depart.

* * *

Hinata opened the door to Naruto's office and she was surprised to see a pile of envelopes sprawled out on his desk. Naruto looked up at her and he immediately flashed a smile.

"Hey, Hinata!"

She walked over to him and sat down across from him. "What are all these envelopes?"

"Ah, these? They're fan-girl mails, hehe." Naruto grinned cheekily. "I got these a little after we won the war and I kept getting it up until our marriage. I just remembered that I kept them in a box in a cabinet here so I was just going through them."

Hinata felt a slight discomfort in her chest and she narrowed her eyes at him. Why would he want to go through old fan-girl letters when he's a married man? He shouldn't even be giving those letters a second thought; he shouldn't even be _looking_ at them.

How can he just proudly flaunt those letters in front of her like that?

"Throw those out."

Naruto's smile slowly disappeared and he blinked at her sudden bluntness. "Eh?"

"I'm not gonna repeat myself."

He was taken back by her seriousness and he noticed that she looked a little irritated. Then it suddenly dawned on him that he's never seen this expression on her before...and then his heart fluttered when he realized why she suddenly looked so pissed.

He leaned forward a little and smirked at her. "You're jealous, huh?"

Hinata blushed faintly and she only glared at him even more. "Well, why would you want to read those when you're already married to me?"

Ha, she was cute.

Naruto chuckled softly and then started collecting them and putting them back in the box. "Alriiiight, I'll toss it. Sorry." He got up and carried the box over to the trash and dropped it in.

"There, happy?"

Hinata stayed quiet and then she slowly stood up and walked towards him. Naruto was once again taken by surprise when she came closer to him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

Now it was his turn to blush. Besides their first kiss, this was the first time she's ever done something bold towards him. He was scared that she might hear how loud his heartbeat was when he felt her lay her head against his chest.

"...you're mine." She muttered quietly against his shirt.

Oh, _damn_. Holy shit.

He couldn't even find words to describe how he was feeling and he felt like his heart would burst. She was being so bold with her words...and right now, was she actually being _possessive_ over him?

She was making it clear, straight up, that he was her man...and that was such a_ turn on_. He gulped and then gently placed his hands on her shoulders.

Hinata was expecting him to hug her back, but she was surprised when he suddenly pushed her away. She felt insecure when he looked away from her and then backed away just a little. Did she do something wrong just now?

"U..um..." He cleared his throat softly. "You can go home first. I'll take care of these things and then I'll come."

"We were supposed to do this together...are you sure? I can help-,"

"It's alright, Hinata." He managed to flash a smile at her. "You go rest. I'm almost done, anyways."

"Oh..." Hinata didn't insist any further. "...then, I'll have dinner ready. I'll see you in a bit." She stood there for a few moments, hoping he'd show a gesture of affection towards her like he always did.

But, nothing.

He simply nodded then went to sit back down at his desk.

Hinata felt confused. As she walked towards the door and took one last glance at him before she opened it and exited the room, she couldn't help but think that she was bothering him in some way. Was it because she hugged him unexpectedly like that just then? Did he not like it when she initiated the first move?

He always hugged her and kissed her first, but if she did it...did that make him irritated in some way?

Was she being too clingy?

Hinata felt her heart drop at all the thoughts swarming in her mind. She shook her head to herself and then took a deep breath. She was just overthinking, that's all. She continued on her way out and then dashed ahead to their home.

When Naruto heard the door finally close, he let out a small frustrated groan. God, he didn't know how much longer he could control himself. He had already desired her even before he knew his own feelings, but now that he was absolutely sure of how he felt towards her, it was just ten times harder to resist.

He wanted to hold her and kiss her endlessly. He wanted to be one with her, both in body and in mind. He wanted to connect with her on a deeper level and not just keep doing these simple pecks or hugs that they always give each other.

But everytime he had such thoughts, he would be reminded of what she told him on their wedding night. That night, she wasn't ready yet...neither was he. But now, it was different.

They were together everyday now that he had convinced the Konoha Council to let them do their duties together. He was glad that he could spend almost every waking moment with her, but it was just difficult to control his own emotions.

He ran his fingers through his blonde hair and dropped his head down on the desk. He was _crazy_ in love with her and he wanted to do nothing more but just pour out his love to her.

But until she was ok with it...until she was ready, he would do his absolute best to push down his desires. He didn't want to hurt her in any way, whether it be physical or emotional. He wasn't going to force himself on her if it wasn't what she wanted yet.

She was too precious to him.

Also, for a while now, he's been wanting to discuss with her about having a family. If she wasn't ready to consummate their marriage yet, it definitely meant that she wasn't ready for children, too. He found himself smiling at random times in the day whenever he thought about a son and daughter running around in their household. He wanted nothing more but to share the rest of his life being the leader of his beloved village alongside a beautiful family.

"I need to talk about it with her, soon..." He muttered to himself. He didn't want to rush her into it, but he also knew it was something that they needed to discuss soon.

* * *

The next following days were confusing for Hinata.

Naruto seemed...distant. When she was with him throughout the day, he wasn't as talkative as he normally was. She also realized that when they walked together, he didn't hold her hand anymore; instead, it seemed like he was making sure he kept a good few centimeters between them so they weren't too close.

She's been counting the days and it's been four days straight since he last hugged her.

It was breaking her heart, honestly.

Was it because he was getting bored of her? Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to convince the Council to let them do their duties together...maybe he was tired of seeing her so much.

Maybe he was regretting the fact that he told her he loved her.

Maybe...he really didn't feel the same way yet and he just said those words in the spur of the moment because she was hurt so badly from the mission.

Hinata glanced over at Naruto, who was staring straight ahead with a poker face. They were heading back to the Konoha headquarters from the ninja academy and the whole way there was awfully quiet. She couldn't bring herself to say anything because she felt like the atmosphere was too tense.

She didn't know what she did wrong. Maybe she was expecting too much out of him. Of course he wasn't going to shower her with affection everyday for the rest of their marriage because she knew that would be tiring to do. But the fact that he didn't even touch her at all for almost a whole week was...disappointing. At times, she wanted to reach out to him and hold his arm or just snuggle close to him when they were alone at home, but she couldn't find the courage to do it...not especially after he pushed her away when she hugged him first the other day.

"...you ok?"

His voice brought her back to reality and she managed to force a smile at him.

"Y...yea, I'm fine." She muttered quietly and watched him as he just simply nodded and looked forward again.

Normally, he would definitely ask her once or twice to reassure if she really was ok, or at least be stubborn about it, but...but he just_ nodded_. She felt her heart break once again at the lack of attention he was paying to her.

She slowed down enough so that she walking a little behind him and averted her eyes down. She'll keep her distance from him for now. It seemed like he was avoiding her for some reason so she didn't want to trouble him even more.

"I'm going to head over to the hospital."

Naruto stopped walking and he turned around to face her. "Eh, why? Are you hurt somewhere...?"

She felt a bit hopeful when she saw that familiar worried expression on his face, but she quickly pushed down her feelings. "I'm ok, I just want to go check if they need to restock on any supplies. The trade from Iwagakure is getting a bit slow these past few days."

"Oh yea, huh. I'm gonna have to talk to Shikamaru about checking into that. I'll see you in a bit then?"

Hinata nodded, and then she did something that made both her and Naruto freeze on the spot. She _bowed_ to him.

Naruto blinked at her sudden formality and when Hinata lifted her head again, her eyes slightly widened at her own actions.

"Y...you don't have to be so formal, Hinata...are you sure you're ok?" Naruto narrowed his eyes at her and when he reached towards her, he was taken by surprise when she took a small step back.

"I'll get going. I'll report back to you within an hour." Hinata quickly replied before she dashed off, leaving Naruto to stand there alone.

He was a bit dumbfounded. What just happened? Did she just_ back away_ from him...? She stepped away from his touch, as if she didn't want him to be near her. Did he do something wrong to her?

"Shit...maybe because I've been too distant..." He muttered to himself and sighed. To be honest, he's been trying not to get too close to her in any way because he was afraid he might lose control. He felt like if he hugged her or if he kissed her, he wouldn't want to stop.

He's been restraining himself from showing her any affections because of that.

He ran his fingers through his hair and let out a small frustrated groan. He knew he was hurting her, and the fact that she stepped away from his touch proved that she was hurt. That was the last thing he wanted to do...he didn't want to cause her anymore pain.

But he just couldn't trust himself if he was too close to her. It's been almost a whole year into their marriage and he's been holding back for months now.

'Should I just talk to her about this?' He thought to himself. It was embarrassing to talk about. What was he going to say? That he's been distant because he was desperately trying not to pummel her down and _show_ her just how much he loved her?

He felt so dirty and so vulgar for even thinking about such things. She was so pure and innocent and he hated himself for having such thoughts. She was his wife and the person he loved the most in the world...he didn't want to break her heart anymore than he already has.

* * *

Hinata honestly felt like crying.

It's been such a long time since she's felt this horrible and she never imagined she'd have this feeling of being _unwanted_ by Naruto, out of all people.

Instead of going to the hospital, she found herself walking to the training grounds.

Those doubts started to fill her mind again and she gazed down sadly at the ground. Did he...really love her? Was he being so distant because maybe he was regretting the decision of confessing to her?

She knelt down and let out a shaky sigh, trying to control her emotions.

All those times where she thought she might have a happy ending, just went out the door. That fear of being in loveless marriage came crawling back again. She closed her eyes and tightened her hands into fists.

She stopped herself from thinking so negatively and shook her head to herself.

She remembered clearly in the beginning that she already promised herself that she would become a strong woman, despite whether he came to love her or not. Her life's duty was to Konoha and to the people, first. And from the beginning of this marriage, she also made a promise that she would still love Naruto unconditionally, no matter what happens.

If he didn't love her...so what?

If he was regretting his confession, so what?

If she wasn't good enough for him, _so what_?

She realized that all this time...she's been doing things because she wanted to be someone worthwhile in his eyes. She still loved him and she was sure she was always going to love him...but she wasn't going hold herself to his standard anymore.

Her self worth wasn't, and shouldn't, be through Naruto. It was through herself, and _only_ herself.

Hinata pushed away those pitiful emotions that made her feel like trash and let out another sigh. She's come so far...she wasn't going to let something like this bring her down. She wasn't that weak.

Slowly, she stood back up and dropped her robe to the ground. Glancing up at the sky, she guessed it was probably around 1pm since it was getting hotter...and her next assignment on the list wasn't until 3, so she had some time to kill.

Activating her Byakugan, she reached down to her weapons pouch and shot out three kunai's at lightning speed, splitting two trees in half.

When she got home later, she was definitely going to talk to Naruto.

* * *

8pm.

This was probably the earliest Naruto's ever been home. He opened the door and expected to see Hinata already in the kitchen cooking, but to his disappointment, no one was there.

'Well, it is a bit early. She probably won't be home till 10.' He thought as he hung his Hokage robe on the couch. It felt strange to be coming home first.

He wondered how he would approach the situation that they were in right now. He was pretty sure that she was still hurt and he didn't know what he would say to her when she got home. He didn't want her to feel like he didn't love her or anything like that...he knew he had a lot of explaining to do to make up for the last few days.

He hoped that she wasn't crying by herself somewhere. He knew that she probably blamed herself for his lack of affections towards her because she always found no faults when it came to him.

Naruto sat down on the couch and leaned his head back against the pillows. He would've never imagined that the person he would come to love the most would be Hinata. It still shock him no matter how many times he thought about it. From their Genin days to the Fourth Great Ninja War, he always saw her as a friend and nothing more, nothing less.

And then as they spent more time together in their marriage, he came to know who she truly was and how amazing and beautiful of a person was. He never thought that he would be so crazily in love with her and that he would be so captivated by everything about her.

Thinking back to how she drew away from his touch earlier, he hated himself for that. He hurt her so much to the point where she didn't even want to be touched by him. He had make things right...he couldn't possibly sleep tonight if he didn't apologize to her.

He nearly jumped in surprise when he heard the door suddenly open and their eyes met as soon as Hinata stepped in the door. She froze for a few seconds because he's never been home before her.

"..y...you're home early."

"Ah." Naruto simply replied and then averted his eyes down.

Hinata shut the door behind her and took off her robe, hanging it down on the couch next to his Hokage robe. "Um...did you eat yet? I'll make dinner-,"

"No, it's fine. I'm not that hungry."

"Oh..." Hinata realized that he wasn't even meeting her gaze and her hands clenched into fists. "...I'm gonna go shower, then. Come to sleep if you're tired." She muttered before she walked past him.

Naruto was about to reach out and grab her hand, but he quickly restrained himself. Why did it feel so goddamn_ tense_ between them? He hated it. Both of their responses to each other were short and that was probably the most awkward greeting they've had.

He slowly stood up and walked over to their bedroom. He changed into a simple orange t-shirt and black pants before climbing onto the bed. He sat there and listened to the sound of the shower and figured he'll just wait until she's done and then he'll talk to her. It had to be tonight...if he waited until the next morning, he felt like it would just make things worse. He didn't want things to be like this between them...not especially after he already told her he loved her.

It wasn't good for either of them if they had regrets in this marriage. If they lacked communication, it'll only destroy their relationship and it was far too early for that to happen. He wasn't going to let that happen at all.

After 10 minutes or so, he heard the shower stop. He waited for a few moments and when he turned to look at Hinata, his heart nearly skipped a beat. She came out with her hair still a little damp and she was only wearing a thin, spaghetti-strapped silk dress that reached mid-thigh.

Hinata nearly gasped when she saw him sitting on the bed and blushed when he quickly turned away from her. She gazed down at herself and realized that this was the most skin she's shown around him. "I...I'm sorry. I thought you were still in the living room..."

"It's fine...just wear one of your robes. I won't look till you're done." Naruto muttered. Why did she have to be so_ tempting_? And when did she ever own a dress that short? God, she was not making this any easier for him.

Hinata was about to walk over to the drawer to quickly grab one of her sleeping robes, but then she stopped. Her eyes narrowed and she simply set down the towel she was holding on the side of the bed.

He was her husband.

She was his wife.

The fact that he was still looked away from her body and the fact that she felt the need to hide herself from him was...unnecessary.

Hinata quietly climbed onto the bed and sat down next to him. "...Naruto."

Naruto turned around and was expecting to see her wearing a longer robe, but he was taken by surprise when she was still in the same outfit. He was about to turn away again, but she reached over and gently held his hand.

"It's ok, Naruto. I won't feel embarrassed or anything like that."

Naruto slowly gazed at her and his eyes softened at how beautiful she naturally looked. The short dress didn't cover much either, so most of her legs and her arms were exposed.

"Um, Naruto..." Hinata averted her attention away from him. "...you don't have to force yourself."

He blinked and stared at her, confused. "What?"

"Well, you've been a bit distant lately, ever since you confessed. So I just wanted to tell you that you don't have to force yourself. I know that you might've just said those words in the spur of the moment and..." She paused for a moment before continuing. "...and so, it's ok if you really don't feel the same way. You don't have to force yourself to love me if you really don't."

Naruto just continued to stare at her, speechless. Did she really just say that? She thought he was avoiding her because _he didn't love her_? Because she thought he was just forcing himself to say those words to her?

That pissed him off.

"What the hell are you talking about?" He glared at her.

Hinata was a bit taken back by his tone. "I...I just don't want you to-,"

"You think that my confession was a _joke_? You think my words were meaningless?"

Hinata didn't know what to say. Maybe she had been wrong this whole time...maybe he really does feel the same, judging from how angry he looked right now. "...then, are you upset with me? You've been avoiding me for a few days."

Naruto let out a frustrated sigh. "Damn it, Hinata, why do you always think it's your fault?!" He immediately regretted raising his voice when he saw her flinch.

Hinata felt like cowering down because he seemed so pissed right now, but she stood her ground. She gathered the courage to look back at him just as intensely before she spoke. "Because you never tell me what's wrong. So please, Naruto, if it's something that I'm doing wrong or if you're just going through something right now, let me know. I'm your wife...and if you really do feel the same, then please tell me what's been bothering you."

Naruto was surprised at her comment. Then he realized that he didn't even have the right to be angry at her right now. She had every right to feel confused because he made her feel so heartbroken like this.

He stayed quiet for a few moments and his expression softened when he calmed down. He held her hand and Hinata's heart fluttered when he pulled her in to give her a light kiss on the forehead.

It felt so nice to have him show her affection again...she honestly missed being so close to him like this.

"...I love you..." He confessed openly to her. "...so don't ever doubt my feelings."

"Then, why were you so distant?"

Naruto was still nervous and very embarrassed to say it to her, but he figured he just had to do it. "I was avoiding you because...well, because..." He sighed and hesitated for a slight moment before continuing.

"...because I want you."

Hinata just stared at him blankly. She didn't get it. What was he talking about? He already had her...she was his wife. She didn't understand at all. "But I'm right here, Naruto...you already have me."

Naruto let out another frustrated sigh at her innocence. Goodness, she was making this so hard.

Hinata gasped when he suddenly pushed her down on the bed and her heart raced like crazy when he kissed her without warning.

"No, Hinata..." His quiet and husky voice sent shivers down her spine and for some reason, she felt excited and she was anticipating for something...but she just didn't know _what_.

"I **_want _**you."

When one of his hands gripped her hips and he snuggled into the nape of her neck, she blushed extensively. She finally got what he meant.

"...o...oh."

Naruto almost laughed at her dumbfounded and innocent response. He leaned back a little so that he can look at her. "I've been...trying to hold back for a while now. I know you're not ready for this yet, that's why I kept my distance...I just didn't want to lose control..."

Hinata never imagined that the reason why he avoided her was because...well, because...he wanted her in _that_ way. She now understood that he must've been very nervous to talk about it since it was something they both haven't experienced yet.

She couldn't stop her heart from racing so fast. The way he was looking at her was just so full of passion and it made her tremble. She suddenly felt disappointed when he moved away from her, and sat with his back faced to her. "I don't want to force you, Hinata. I don't want you to feel like you're obligated to do it just because I want to, either."

She pondered for a few moments, thinking about it. Was she...ready?

Her gaze fell upon his back and his broad shoulders and she suddenly felt like she just wanted to embrace him from behind. She had the strong urge to just pull him down again and kiss him.

She wanted his touch.

She...she wanted him, too.

Slowly, she reached over and placed her hand on his shoulder. He turned slightly to look at her and found himself following her when she gently pulled him back to hover over her. She laid down on the bed once again and then Naruto was taken by surprise when she leaned up and gave him a sweet kiss.

Naruto felt like he was about to lose control right then and there, but he restrained himself. When she broke away from him, his heart melted when she gave him that loving smile.

"I love you...and I want you, too."

Naruto sure as hell hoped that she didn't say that in the spur of the moment. He definitely wasn't going to let her sleep tonight.

* * *

**I lied. One more chapter, and then it'll be finished. **

**Review ;D**


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